


My Neighbors, the Vampires

by sky_fish



Series: My Neighbours, the Vampires [1]
Category: Arashi (Band), Kanjani8 (Band), V6 (Band)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family, Fantasy, Friendship, Horror, Humor, M/M, Vampires, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-04-27 08:19:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 108,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5040994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sky_fish/pseuds/sky_fish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Matsumoto Jun moves to a small town near Tokyo together with his little daughter Ai, he doesn't think much about his new neighbors. Aiba Masaki and his half-brothers Ohno Satoshi and Ninomiya Kazunari are bearing a secret though, that no human being is meant to know. However, when not only their new neighbors but also Sakurai Sho from the neighborhood enter their lives, little by little things start to change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Family Ties

**Author's Note:**

> Beta: jtaytt; Mental support: wendyjoly (Thanks for everything, girls! ♥)
> 
> I read that prompt by deelovesryo in the sign-ups of the 2014's trick_or_fic event and totally fell in love with the idea. I got inspired immediately and decided to give it a try. The story turned out much longer than I thought so I didn't submit it to the event back then and kept on writing instead to allow it to grow into a little monster (which yes, that actually means, it took me a whole year to complete this XD I'm glad though, I didn't give up).

**Prologue**

The dim light of the lamps standing everywhere in the huge bedroom filled the room with a warm tone of red. The baroque patterns of the lamps drew dark shadows on the walls and the bedroom's ceiling, turning the scene into something even more beautiful, more mysterious. A slight breeze from the autumn night came into the room making the soft, see through curtains dance.

The young woman didn't even think about complaining when she realized, that she would not be the only one sharing her date's bed tonight. Once she got laid down onto the soft silky bed sheets slowly, two other women entered the room and approached the man who was now stroking the young woman's cheeks tenderly, from behind.

He sat up for a moment, just to quickly glance to his right and left where the other women started to climb onto the bed, giggling and teasing the man with their hands, stroking over his undressed upper body which was slim but well-built at the same time. The young woman lying underneath him pulled in the air and bit her lower lip to hold back a pleasured moan when she felt his slim fingers touching the bare skin of her thighs as he ran them upwards slowly underneath her short skirt. He smiled and bent down to kiss the young woman who finally couldn’t hold back any longer as she reached out her hands to place them in the man's nape and deepened their kiss. After a long passionate kiss, he looked right into his new victim’s eyes, who was lying there eagerly, waiting for him to undress her finally, to kiss her again and to do whatever he liked with her. Usually, she wasn't the light type, not a girl to follow a man she just met for the first time in her life, to his house, into his bedroom, nevertheless, there was something about that man that made her throw all of her principles over board, just to be with him, just to be his, no matter what the circumstances or the consequences might be. If she didn't know better, she would think she got bewitched by that man.

A whispered moan escaped the woman’s throat as she let her head drop into her nape; exposing the soft skin of her neck to the man she was lying underneath. Long, thin fingers were ghosting over her body, shaking with excitement, brushing over the skin of her sides as he finally pushed the light fabric of her top from her and opening her bra to set her free. After throwing away the pieces of clothing, he started drawing a line around the small pink nipples of her tiny cute breasts before he let his fingers wander up further until they were laid slightly around her neck.

The woman pulled in the air between her teeth and for a short moment she held her breath as she looked right into the man’s dark eyes, her heartbeat speeding up. The man’s hands felt like ice on her burning skin and when he finally leaned down and let his hot breath replace his fingers, the woman pulled in some air again. His hot tongue trailed up her neck until the man nibbled slowly on her earlobe while he let his cold hand glide over her shoulder, her arm, until he carefully grabbed her wrist and brought it up to them. He kissed the woman’s neck, letting his soft lips touch her pure skin and then he disposed the pulsing blood vessel of her wrist, licking over it with his tongue, moaning with pleasure. The woman buried her free hand in the man’s hair and when he opened his mouth a bit wider, she could see his canine teeth grow longer and sharper before they were scratching her soft skin.

She held her breath again, staring at him in the dim red light of the bedroom, as realization hit her. Even if she never believed in stuff like that, she knew what all of this meant now... Her body curved, the soft silk underneath it, and a strong wave of a mixture of fear and excitement rolled through her when the man slowly let his teeth sink into her wrist, causing a few drops of deep red blood to form on top of her soft skin. Not sure if she should scream or moan, the young woman just closed her eyes, enjoying the thrill of the moment. She felt her hot blood running down her wrist. The man caught some drops of the red liquid with his tongue and placed a kiss onto the two tiny marks on the woman’s wrist before he guided her hand back over the edge of the bed that they were lying in, the drops of the red lifeblood then fell down to the ground slowly, getting caught by a crystal bowl.

"Shh...," the man whispered into the woman’s ear, running his hand over her shaking body while she could feel the hand of another woman, who she almost forgot completely, brushing through her hair comfortingly. "Don’t worry, everything will be alright."

She stared at him nervously, her eyes flickering insecure but he smiled at her and his dark eyes suddenly spread a warm feeling, calming her down immediately. He leaned over to seal her lips with another tender kiss and she intuitively closed her eyes as she got lost in the kiss of the man she fell for at first sight this evening. It didn’t hurt when the man slightly bit her lip to let his own lips get wet with a few drops of her blood.

"You taste wonderful," the man whispered, smiling, and brushed his cool hands caring through the woman’s hair.

"Satoshi-san...," she whispered as she slowly opened her eyes and answered with a smile as well. 

 

**Chapter 1 – Family Ties**

"Watch out so that you don’t mix it, Masaki! These are type A, the other is type B!" Satoshi advised as he handed the tall guy next to him three different bowls.

"Yeees, I know, I know!" the man called Masaki rolled his eyes, carefully took the bowls one after another, placed them on the table in front of him and proceeded pouring the content thereof into small already prepared plastic packages. He let his tongue lick over his quite unusual long canine teeth that peaked out between his lips as he sighed.

"And don’t taste it now, that’s for dinner tomorrow!" another scolding from Satoshi followed, as he searched for a chair to slump in and watch the scene.

The fluorescent light above the table flickered and Masaki cursed silently, making a mental note to buy a new bulb the next time he went for buying groceries at the nearby supermarket. He asked Satoshi to kindly check the food stock that was stored in the cellar shelf right behind him, to tell him if there was anything else he should buy to restock.

"Did you ever try mixing it?" a third young man, not looking older than a late teenager with black disheveled hair and huge dark circles around his eyes, asked frowning as he stretched his neck to take a look at the red liquid that Masaki was handling, with a mixture of curiosity and disgust on his face.

"I did, it’s not a good idea, believe me," Satoshi answered, shaking his head at the unpleasant memory of feeling sick for three whole days from that experimental cocktail.

"Hah... OK, not that I’d ever try it myself anyway," the youngest answered and pulled back, his face finally deciding on the expression of disgust. He pursed his lips and poked the tall man next to him. "By the way, why am I supposed to help with this every time? I don’t even _need_ this!" he complained.

"Because, Kazunari," the taller man next to him answered in a serious tone while handing him another package of blood conserves so that he could label and store it correctly in the cooling box in front of him, "family helps each other and you know this is really important for us! Satoshi is the one getting hold of it and we are in charge of storing it correctly, this makes everything much easier."

"It’s not like it’s _that_ much work that you need three people to decant this amount of blood every few nights. And look, I’m already feeling sick just by looking at it, just smelling it is... ugh...," the young, black-haired man covered his mouth with one hand and pretended to be close to throwing up.

"Stop faking, Kazu!" Masaki said with a strict voice and as always, his little brother gave in pouting and continued labeling the blood packages.

"I'm not faking," Kazunari murmured huffily. "I really think that this _is_ disgusting!"

"Oh come on, pull yourself together, you're grown up already!" Masaki slightly slapped the young man's head.

Kazunari clicked his tongue to prevent himself from arguing back and instead he finally concentrated on their work which would be quickly completed anyway. The sooner, the better, he still had some levels to clear tonight in his game.

\-----

"Ai, Ai, wake up!" the driver of the fully packed van reached out his hand to his side and carefully shook the young girl's shoulder.

"Hm?" the young girl with long black hair slowly woke up and lifted one of her hands to rub her tired eyes, looking at the smiling man with black-framed glasses and curly dark hair.

"We're almost there, look, down this street, the last house in the row, the one at the edge, is it!" he pointed straight ahead at a white wooden house with dark green window frames.

The young girl tiredly blinked her eyes and looked outside of the car's windows to catch a glimpse of their surroundings. The houses here were bigger and separated with gardens; the scenery looked completely different from everything she knew so far, from the seven years she spent on this earth already, traveling the world's biggest cities with the man next to her. She couldn’t say that she wasn't curious about this right here, which was so different from the high neatly arranged buildings in the cities but at the same time, she didn't want to get too excited over the whole thing, just in case...

"This is our new home," the man proudly announced as he parked his car in front of the house. "Isn't it nice? Look, it has two floors; your room is up there at the edge underneath the roof, with view onto the gardens of our new neighbors and our own garden!"

He looked at the young girl with a broad smile, awaiting her reaction but when she just stared at him, saying nothing at all, he wasn’t really concerned about that either. He sighed and pulled out the car keys to put them inside his jacket's pocket. He smiled, reached out his hand again to pat the little girl's head, who turned away slightly to show her disapproval.

"Come on, Ai, smile for me!" the man tried again. "You'll see, this time it will be a real new start. We'll finally feel at home and I'll even have more time to spend with you since I'll be working from home!" 

Ai pursed her lips, frowning, and she murmured. "That's the third time you're saying this already..."

"You know, third time is a charm!" another wide smile flashed over the man's face as he ruffled through the kid's hair. "And now be a good girl and don't be angry with your Daddy, please?"

The young girl sighed deeply, rolled her eyes, and undid her seat belt so that she could finally jump out of the car to get some fresh air. As she opened the car's door, a cold breeze hit her and she froze instantly. Even though she knew that it was autumn, she didn't expect the air being _that_ cold here.

"Ah, it's pretty fresh here, completely different from the cities' air, right?" her father stated, as he saw her little body shaking slightly. "I'll buy you a new jacket once we get to explore town, alright?"

Ai looked at him and snorted. Even the expectation for a new present couldn't cheer her up right now. She was still mad at that man who pulled her out of her surroundings – again – just as she finally was able to find some friends at school at the place they lived before. Well, this time she wouldn't make the same mistake of going through the trouble to find friends in first place and she would just stay inside her room. Who needed school, anyway? She could just learn the important stuff from books and ask her Dad for help once she stopped being angry at him. At least, that was the plan for now.

"What do you want for dinner, darling? I'll cook something for us," her father asked when he put a box with kitchen utensils outside of the van's luggage trunk while Ai reached for one of her bags. "What about pasta? You like Matsumoto Papa's pasta, right?"

Again, Ai rolled her eyes. Not that it was embarrassing enough that her dad called it "Matsumoto Papa's pasta", but it was the only type of dish he could cook, anyway. Nonetheless, she could feel how hard her Dad was trying to cheer her up. He had his good sides too.

"Alright," she gave in and her father's face lit up. "But I'll make a salad for us as a side dish."

"That's my cute little girl!"

+++++

Masaki was peeping outside of the kitchen window from behind the curtain as he witnessed the new neighbors arriving at the house that had been empty for a few years now. He was pretty excited that there were new people in town and even more that one of them was a little girl. It wasn't a secret, at least not to his roommates, that he loved kids. If he didn’t have such a huge handicap he would definitely work as a teacher in kindergarten or something like that right now. But well, fate wasn't that nice to him...

"What's going on out there, Masaki?" Satoshi asked as he came into the kitchen and found the other man spying through the window while he seemed to have forgotten about cooking completely. "Watch out, the water it boiling!"

"Ah!" Masaki let go off the curtain, turned around and quickly turned down the heat of the pot filled with water. "I'm sorry! I was a bit distracted, did you know that there are new neighbors moving in next door?"

The other man shook his head and peeped over Masaki's shoulders. "I didn't know and to be honest, I'm more interested in what's for dinner than in any new people, except when they are female, between 20 and 30 and beautiful."

Masaki rolled his eyes. "It's a young man with his little daughter," he told. "She looks like a little angel!"

"You're saying this about every little children you come across. Can't you shut up your inner clock from time to time? You're worse than every woman I know who is wishing for a child! So, dinner is?"

"Alright, alright," Masaki decided to ignore the other man's teasing. "So it's pasta with lemon grass and salmon for dinner. Approved?"

"Approved!" Satoshi grinned satisfied. "I'm going downstairs to pick a fitting type of drink, then."

"On your way, could you get Kazu to come help me set the table?"

"I'll try to."

Shortly after while Masaki was grilling the fish and the pasta was almost ready, Satoshi came back to the kitchen, dragging Kazunari with him who of course was complaining loudly that he didn't want to help set up the table, since he didn't want to eat either. After Satoshi, who still was used to that complaining, shot him with a death glare and reminded him that it was important for Masaki that they as a family at least shared the table once or twice a day, Kazu finally grabbed the dishes and brought them into the dining room, setting up the table as asked.

Just a few minutes later, the three men were sitting together in front of dinner, like every day. Satoshi served two wine glasses half-filled with red liquid for him and Masaki while the other was distributing the pasta and fish onto two plates and handed one of them over to Satoshi. Enjoying the good aroma, Satoshi smiled before he reached for the fork and knife that Kazunari has – not really passionately – arranged onto a paper napkin next to him.

"Thanks for cooking such an awesome meal, Masaki," Satoshi said and lifted his glass to make a toast with the other man.

"You're welcome, please enjoy! Thanks for getting us an exquisite drink," Masaki answered before he looked left as he heard some quiet but annoying sounds.

The third person of the party, Kazunari, was just sitting there, nothing to eat or to drink in front of him but totally drawn into something he held in both of his hands under the table.

"Kazu, put away your 3DS now, we’re eating," Masaki said.

"Yeah, _you_ are eating and I have better things to do than to watch you shoveling things down your throats. And don’t treat me as if you’re my Mom, Masaki, I’m grown up already!" the other murmured and returned to his game after glancing in annoyance at the other man.

Masaki put his glass down onto the table, trying not to get loud instantly towards the young man. "Then show some respect and don’t behave like a spoiled child, young man!"

Kazunari threw him another mean glare and finally jumped up, leaving the table hurriedly without any further response.

"Don’t forget to take your pills, Kazu!" Masaki yelled after him just before hearing the door at the end of the corridor getting slammed shut. He sighed. "Why do I have the feeling that not only his looks but his behavior is also stuck at the age of 17? What is he, a 27 year old adult or a teenager stuck in puberty?"

Satoshi took a sip from his glass, enjoying the thick red liquid wetting his lips and tongue and gulped down in obvious enjoyment. He looked at Masaki and slightly waived his hand. "You know that he has some issues, I think we shouldn't be so strict to him and be happy that at least he stopped running away and trying to kill himself, that little emo."

"Don’t talk about him like that," Masaki murmured, cutting the salmon with his knife. "Emo… sounds so negative..."

"It was _you_ who was complaining about his behavior!" Satoshi puzzled lifted one eyebrow.

"That’s because... I’m worried about him!" Masaki defended himself before tasting his drink as well. "Do you remember that one time when he ran away from the clan and we couldn't find him for days?! We were lucky that he appeared again in front of the mansion, even if he was half-dead! We still have no idea what happened during those days since he says he can't remember anything. But I never ever want to experience something frightening like that again."

"Of course I remember… but you don't think that scolding him and forbidding him to play his games makes him want to run away again?"

"That… just because I'm worrying about him this doesn't mean that I have to spoil him endlessly! He has to stick to some simple manners at least, I don't think that's asking for too much," Masaki pouted.

"You _really_ behave like a Mom...," his brother giggled and again devoted himself to his glass. "By the way, this is Satomi-chan’s blood. She’s new in town, cute, innocent, type A."

Masaki nodded slightly. "Hmm... it’s tasty. A sweet note... I like it."

"My favorite is Yui-chan's, though...," Satoshi stated.

"When will she come again?"

The older one frowned. "She said, she’s on holidays right now, maybe in a week."

"You're missing her already?" Masaki looked at the other with a grin decorating his face, his white canine teeth shining.

"Not particularly..."

"Oh come on, I know you like her."

"I like every woman on earth," Satoshi stated as a matter of fact and took the last sip of Satomi's blood.

"Casanova!"

Satoshi ignored Masaki's comment and just enjoyed the rest of the meal. Masaki looked at his older brother suspiciously but decided to drop the topic and not to tease him any longer. Sooner or later, his brother would have to admit that he had a crush on Yui, the woman whose blood he liked best, and surely not only because of the taste, like Masaki assumed. But well, in the meantime, he would not complain if his older brother met other women – which meant, that there was always enough blood for him as well, without being forced to go "hunting" on his own or to buy blood conserves to sustain his life.

Fact was, even if it wasn't that obvious as people might assume it to be, the three men living in this house were vampires. Well, half-vampires, to be true. Their father was a vampire but their mothers – each of them a different woman – were human women. With that, they only inherited half the blood and the characteristics of a vampire.

Unfortunately, this also meant that they didn't have a real place in the vampire's society but it was just as well, as all three of them have noticed pretty quickly, they wouldn't really fit in there anyway. They were just too different. First of all, it was one of the biggest taboos in the vampire world, to have children with human beings. The vampires – at least most of them – didn't like it if their blood got "mixed" with the human species and wouldn’t accept them as part of the clan. More than that, it was a fact that children from vampires and humans were kind of... disadvantaged. They weren't real humans, neither real vampires. They inherited a few of the vampire's characteristics, but not enough to be called a full vampire since they lacked the most important skill of such a creature – to reproduce their vampire genes. In short, they were not able to turn humans into vampires and they were not able to get children. More than that, with their not fully developed vampire characteristics, they experienced more handicaps than benefits, the last factor might vary from half-vampire to half-vampire, but none of them had it really easy.

Masaki for example suffered the most from not being able to have children. He loved children since young. When he and his brothers got thrown out from the vampire clan as soon as they were able to take care of themselves, he had sworn to himself that he would go out into the world, find a nice woman and make his own clan of people that would accept him and his brothers as they are. But when he found out that it wasn't possible, they ended up as just the three of them.

Furthermore, Masaki had wanted to go to college and become a teacher for kindergarten but this also had turned out to be impossible, since he was suffering from another huge handicap. Even if he wasn't a real vampire, he had pretty impressive and long, sharp canine teeth and _because_ he wasn't a real vampire, he seemed to lack the skill to make them shrink and disappear temporarily and allow him to look like a normal human being. This caused other people – especially kids – to get scared and run away from him whenever they saw him. Not even his light brown hair that he regularly dyed, believing that it would make him appear friendlier to others, helped in his case and ironically, Halloween ended up as the only day of the year that he could behave normally with children, without them running away and begging for their lives, since they still needed to complete the collection of their Pokédex before they died.

Satoshi was luckier when it came to the advantages and disadvantages of being a half-vampire. He didn't have the problem with his teeth and compared to Masaki and Kazunari, he has inherited most of the vampire skills from their father and could use most of them pretty well. That was the reason why he was able to deceive many women and convinced them to regularly give him their blood out of their own free wills. Well, at least, no-one has complained yet. They were just too fascinated by the man and he didn't kill them or anything, so there was no real trouble for them. They spent an awesome night with the man they desired and therefore allowing him to collect a bit of their blood to keep him and his brother alive can be called a win-win-situation. Satoshi was kind of happy of not being a full vampire. He didn't possess the desire to kill and so he could enjoy the nights with his favorite girls over and over – perfect for the Casanova he was (definitely coming after their father in this aspect).

He also didn't have that much trouble with daylight and he didn't have the trouble of falling into a so-called rigor mortis during the day. Instead, he could just sleep normally for a few hours if he felt like it. The colorful and interesting dreams he always had could be used to inspire him in painting the most impressive paintings ever, which he sold from time to time via online auction or the connections with some gallery owners to get some money for his little family.

Kazunari... well, Kazunari was a complicated case.

Masaki sighed as he thought about the ongoing trouble with his little brother but tried to concentrate on eating as well. He was happy that even if he and his two brothers were far away from being normal human beings, he and Satoshi were at least able to enjoy a delicious meal. He really loved cooking and Satoshi loved eating even more. If they were vampires, they wouldn't be able to do that and so, this was one of the good points of being what they were, Masaki thought. Sometimes though, he felt really sad for Kazunari, as the other _wasn't_ able to feel the pleasure of eating for himself. If Masaki had a hard time being a half-vampire, for Kazunari it was even worse.

The youngest of the three siblings was a _really_ complicated case. He had inherited the necessity to consume blood to be able to survive, just like Masaki and Satoshi had but for him, nature messed up everything by making his body completely incompatible with blood. Since he was small, he suffered from awful stomachaches whenever he drank blood and could barely keep it inside of his weak, little body. Masaki remembered the how scared Satoshi and he were of losing their little brother but fortunately in the end, their father came up with a solution. He and a friend of him, a human professor at a forensic laboratory came up with some blood pills that Kazunari could take without having too much trouble. Somehow, it seemed that he only had trouble with blood in its liquid form. At least, this meant that he wouldn't die so quickly just because he couldn’t drink blood.

It was just natural that with all of the health trouble in his past, Kazunari still didn't like everything that had to do with blood or food in general. He simply didn't want to eat or drink anything besides his blood pills and some water and even those he tended to forget taking because he was distracted by his games or the like. So he often ended up collapsing due to the lack of blood in his body. Having suffered from his condition and not being able to live a normal life (well, as normal as it could have been for a half-vampire), he had started to withdraw from others quite early. Now he was known to spend most of his time inside of his room, playing some games and distracting himself from his – as he thought – completely useless life.

Kazunari was the one who had most trouble with his existence as a half-vampire, he even had trouble with his existence itself and if it wasn’t because of his brothers, he would already have vanished from the surface of this earth, he thought. With that, it wasn't that strange, that Kazunari was kind of depressed, rebellious, behaving like he was in puberty or whatever. He was simply unsatisfied and didn't know what to do. Well, at least his pubertal behavior fit to his looks, because despite his age of already 27 years, he truly still looked like a 17 year old. At least, he had inherited one gene from their vampire father and couldn't complain that it wasn't working – the gene of youth.

Anyway, Masaki loved his little brother and he was taking care of him now for years despite all the trouble he had caused in the past. Nevertheless, he thought that he at least deserved a little respect and that finally Kazunari should learn how important family was and that was why Masaki found it so important for them to spend some time together.

Just when the man stood up, ready to take the empty dishes into the kitchen, Kazunari suddenly showed up right next to him again. Masaki freaked out a little since he didn't hear the other coming but got hold of himself quickly again.

"I'm sorry, Masa-nii...," Kazunari almost whispered, his head lowered and his eyes hidden behind his black disheveled hair. "I'm really childish..."

Masaki snorted, it was time to continue his lecture. "You really are! What's the matter with you? If there is something troubling you, you should talk to us and not behave like a child..."

"I'm really sorry!" the youngest brother repeated, this time louder. "It's just the usual shit... and I _really_ have trouble coping with the blood and everything, I would prefer not to see it, it's so disgusting... if I didn't need those stupid blood pills, I wouldn't be taking them either."

"Says the vampire! What a pity that you need blood in order not to wither like a prune," yes, Masaki was still a little upset but when Kazunari took the dishes – looking hurt by the verbal side blow - and brought them into the kitchen for him, he thought, that he maybe could give in. He followed the other into the kitchen where his little brother started to fill the sink with hot water and dish liquid.

"Kazu-chan...," Masaki finally started again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I know it's hard for you but you see, you're locking yourself into your room all day long, if it wasn't that I forced you to join our dinner, I won’t see you for months! I don't want this to happen, we are a family after all!"

"I know," was everything Kazunari answered. "Sorry for my bad mood, I'll continue to join the dinner and will try to spend a bit more time with you and Satoshi, so please bear with me even if I'm not really likable."

"Argh, Kazu-chan!" Masaki had to fight some small tears that were filling his eyes. "Don't say that you're not likable! You're my beloved little brother after all!" He hugged Kazunari from behind, who almost dropped one of the dishes into the sink due to his brother's sudden attack. "It's my fault, you know I saw our new neighbors, a young man with his little daughter and suddenly, my mood was messed up too. Sorry that I snapped at you because of that."

"I see...," Kazunari murmured and put the dish he was holding back into the hot water.

He suddenly turned around and placed his foam-covered warm hands onto Masaki's cheeks without warning, who shrieked but wasn't able to escape his brother who smirked at him slightly, his eyes lighting up a bit playfully.

"You know, Halloween is coming up. We have to decorate the house, I’ll help you if you want to," Kazunari finally offered, smearing the foam further on his older brother's face.

"Oh, thank you Kazu-chan, you’re trying to cheer me up?" Masaki asked him, showing his long canine teeth as he smiled happily, his face covered with foam.

"I’m not," Kazunari pouted and blushed a little, looking sideward.

"You are! That’s my cute little brother!" Masaki laughed and hugged the other again, not caring that he was spreading the foam between them even more.

"I’m _not_ cute at all!" Kazunari protested and tried to flee.

"Of course not," the other playfully rolled his eyes.

"That's so embarrassing! I hate you!"

"I love you too, little brother!"

Satoshi just watched his brothers quarreling and making up like they usually did and smiled as he saw how Kazunari struggled halfheartedly against his older brother's love. The oldest then went upstairs into his own room, where he wanted to continue the painting he has started just this morning after waking up from a nice dream - A painting, showing a group of seven people including a little girl, dressed up in Halloween costumes and wandering through town, laughing happily.

**_TBC_ **


	2. Halloween

It's been only a few days since Ai and her father had moved to the town and just like she had expected, her father was pretty busy with different tasks in the house, setting up his working space as well as talking on the phone with countless people in countless languages, which she only could understand a few words, from all over the world.

"Salve, sono il designer Matsumoto Jun. La chiamo per delle conferme riguardo al suo ordine di due abiti da da sera... Ah, va bene. Rimango in attesa, grazie."

Ai wasn't surprised that she heard her father talking to someone from another country in the evening, when she went to the bathroom shortly before going to bed. She passed his working room at the opposite of the corridor, the door slightly opened, light switched on and her father sounding tired and worn out already due to working since the early hours that day.

When she took a glimpse through the half-opened door, she could see a pile of clothes on the table next to her father, the sewing machine right in front of him. He was surrounded by countless still unpacked boxes, and they were piling up not only in this room. She wanted to go in and tell her father that he should better call it a day and talk to that person tomorrow, but she already knew that it wasn't that simple because there was something like different time zones on earth so that it was pretty hard to catch people from the other side of the world sometimes. Nevertheless, even if she was still a bit mad at her father, she worried about him and remembered the one time that he collapsed from overworking and had to stay in hospital for a few days. She could only hope that something like that would never ever happen again. He was everything she had left after all and she loved her Daddy more than she would openly admit.

The next morning, the little girl wasn't surprised to find her father already awake, working in the kitchen, burning some egg omelets that he wanted to serve for breakfast together with the rice the rice cooker had cooked – and thankfully not burned because well, that was just impossible.

"Ai! Good Morning, did you sleep well?" Jun asked his daughter cheerfully. "What do you think about going to school today? Come on, let's try it, I'm sure you will find a lot of new friends here!"

The young girl, still wearing her pajamas, sat down at the breakfast table, reaching out for a cup of tea and the two bowls that she filled with rice and placed at her and her father's place.

"I don't need school and I don't need friends, thank you," Ai answered and waited for her Dad to join her at the table.

Jun just threw away the burned egg and searched for some vegetables in the fridge instead so that they could eat that with the rice. When he finally sat down and handed her a few small carrot sticks, she frowned but did not complain, he sighed.

"You know, everyone needs a friend or two and school is important or you would not be able to take over a decent job in the future!" the man lectured his daughter. "More than that, school already called me since I signed you up for the beginning of this week. Your homeroom teacher Takei-sensei told me that she and all the others from class are already waiting for you and that they are looking forward to meeting you."

"I don't believe you, they don't even know me!" Ai said, eating her rice and carrots.

"That's why they _want_ to meet you."

"You don't have friends here either," the small girl pointing her chopsticks at her father who then looked at her in surprise.

"Oh, I'm sure, I'll fix that, don't worry."

"If I take over your business when I'm older, I won't need to go to school for that!" Ai tried the next argument.

"Even if you could take over my business, you would have to attend some sort of schools to learn the basics of this job," Jun pointing his own chopsticks at his daughter.

"You can teach me!"

"That won’t be enough, you need some official qualifications."

Well, if Ai was honest, she wasn't even sure if she really wanted to do her father's work when she was an adult. Sewing strange clothes for other people, staying up at night to set phone calls to the other side of the world and to attend boring shows where way too slim women were walking up and down a so-called "catwalk" (not that Ai ever spotted a cat at such places, so only goodness knew why it was called that) just to show up at the ending to get some applause sounded like a pretty strange job to her. She never understood exactly why her father loved it that much that he even traveled the world for this.

Maybe, she could become a nurse - or a figure skater. She liked ice skating a lot after all and she was sure, she didn't need to attend school to become a figure skater. Yes, that was a nice plan.

"By the way, do you know what day it is today?" her father suddenly asked her, a wide grin all over his face.

Of course, Ai didn't know since she had spent the last few days in her room, sulking, unpacking her stuff and reading some of her favorite books, too busy to even go downstairs to watch a bit television. So she shook her head, her long, straight black hair swinging around her small face.

"Happy Halloween!" Jun cheered happily. He quickly jumped up and grabbed a small bag he had placed at the other end of the table. "It's your favorite celebration, isn't it? So guess, what's in here?"

Ai's big round eyes widened even more in excitement as she heard the news, she had totally forgotten that it was already that time of the year!

"What is it, Daddy, is it a new costume?" she asked, jumping up excitedly and running around the table, stopping in front of her father.

"Bingo!" he answered and pulled a brand new witch-costume out of the bag, fitting Ai's size exactly. "I made it myself, just for my little princess!"

Ai screamed joyfully and placing her hands in front of her mouth as her sparkling eyes saw the dark purple outfit, decorated all over with countless, silver shining pearls and sequins, drawing beautiful patterns on the purple fabric.

"It's so beautiful, Daddy! Let me try it on, please!" the girl jumped up and down, her tiny hands still covering her mouth and the anger at her father was completely forgotten.

But Jun hid the costume behind his back and slightly shook his head. "Not so fast, little madam!"

She let her hands sink down in disappointment, her eyes turning into puppy eyes. "No, don't tell me there's a catch!"

"That depends on how you see it. _I_ would call it a deal," Jun said and put his index finger on top of his daughter’s nose when he bent down to her. "If you are willing to go school starting next week, I will spend the whole day with you today, doing as much Halloween stuff as you want and you can wear your new costume starting from now. Deal or no deal?"

Ai pursed her lips for a moment and crossed her arms, showing her Dad that she didn't approve of his blackmailing tactics but in the end, she couldn't stand it even for a minute and so she gave in with a happy squeal.

"Alright, alright, next week, you said? Let's do it! But you have to crave pumpkins with me and make Halloween cupcakes and we have to go out trick or treating when the sun goes down, you promise?"

"Everything you want, I promise!" Jun smiled and handed his daughter her new costume.

She couldn't wait and just changed right on the spot, finishing her breakfast wearing a shining purple-silver witch's hat a few minutes later.

+-+-+

If Kazunari had known _how much_ Masaki would involve him in the Halloween preparations this year just because he had offered to help him to decorate the house, he would never have made that offer in first place. What was going on now was just crazy!

They didn't only decorate each and every room in their house plus the outer front, they also pimped their usual costumes (vampire costumes of course, the classy ones) and Kazunari was forced to even help bake some Halloween - pumpkin muffins together with his brother. Satoshi joined for the last task too, even if it was more for tasting the muffin's dough than actually helping to make them. Well, since Masaki had his complaining but still cute little brother Kazu as his little helper, he forgave Satoshi as the older clinked himself out of the Halloween preparations to continue painting.

On October the 31st, there was not much left to do except for craving pumpkins, making a delicious pumpkin soup out of the pumpkin's flesh and placing the craved lanterns outside, next to the door, to invite the kids who would be coming trick or treating later on. Masaki was already excited, just like a child on Christmas Eve. Halloween has always been Masaki's favorite celebration and there were a lot of celebrations that he loved. But this was special for him. It was the only day of the year when he could truly be himself (even pretending to be a little bit more than that – a full vampire instead of only a half one) and on which children weren’t afraid of him just because of his sharp canine teeth but loved him and his costume for being "so real".

Masaki had spent almost two hours in the bathroom where he was dressing up, just to place each and every strand of hair in the right place, to powder his face to make it appear whiter and when he was drawing a few red blood drops underneath his teeth with red paint, he giggled, amused. A bit black kohl smeared around his eyes and he looked exactly like a real vampire. The only thing that was missing now was his cape that he has pimped up together with Kazunari. So he reached for the cape that was hanging over the edge of the bathtub, put it on and winked towards the image in the mirror (well, he tried to wink, it didn't really work, though). He was kind of glad that he was only half a vampire right now, at least he _had_ an image in the mirror that way.

When he came downstairs, Kazunari was slumped on the couch in the living room, his Nintendo 3DS in his hands and his cape lying somewhere, carelessly thrown over some pillows. Satoshi was already dressed and Masaki caught him stealing one of the pumpkin muffins. He slapped the thief’s fingers but let him keep the muffin in the end.

"Kazu, come on, get dressed! The first kids will be coming soon!" Masaki poked his little brother’s cheek, earning a grump, and reached for the younger's cape.

"Don't you think that it's pathetic that we as half-vampires dressed up as _vampires_ on Halloween?" the youngest brother complained, not showing any intention of getting up from his spot on the couch.

"I think, it's funny," Satoshi said and giggled. "Because nobody but us knows how close this masquerade is to the truth. It's our little secret that we tell the whole neighborhood once a year but they will never understand it."

"Sadist," Kazunari snorted, throwing an annoyed look at his oldest brother, not that he really cared about any human being but well...

"Depressive Grinch!" Satoshi threw back, secretly fishing for another muffin.

"Stop quarreling, you two! Kazu-chan, do you want me to draw some blood onto your face? I don't think you need any other make-up than that," Masaki offered.

The younger man looked at him, rolled his eyes and murmured, "No, thanks." Indeed, he really didn't need any further preparations, since he was as pale as a ghost by nature and the huge dark circles around his eyes were all natural too, "As you might already know, I'm a no-blood-sucking-vampire. Let's stay with the _truth_."

Just as expected, the doorbell rang a minute later, so Masaki put Kazunari's cape around his brother's shoulder and snatched away his 3DS to shut it down, ignoring the protest of the younger. He dragged him towards the door, grabbing the pumpkin-muffins and a bowl filled with Halloween candy on their way and opened the door with great expectations. There was a group of children in front of their house, dressed up as a little ghost, a witch, a female vampire, two mummies and a werewolf. While Masaki was observing and complimenting each and every costume and cheerfully handing candy to the kids with a broad smile on his face, Kazunari just looked at them critically, not moving too close to those small crazy kids. Satoshi, who has followed his brothers and was leaning in the doorway, obviously observed the young woman who was accompanying the kids and wearing a tight black cat costume. When Kazunari noticed that she was blushing under Satoshi's stare, he rolled his eyes, turned around and secretly picked up his 3DS from the couch where Masaki had dropped it.

The next time, the doorbell rang, Masaki had already brought along the second serving of muffins since the first one had flew off the shelves in record time. Satoshi was again observing the only adult in front of their door – this time it was a zombie-nurse – and Kazunari, even if he was standing right behind Masaki to complete the "the three vampire brothers" image, was completely immersed in his game again, not paying much attention to what was happening in front of him.

About an hour later, Satoshi had already sneaked out with some woman to go dancing at a Halloween party in town, Kazunari was fighting the big boss of his current level and only Masaki was still totally hyper about all those cute dressed up children that lighted up his heart every few minutes.

When Masaki opened the door again the nth time, this time there was only one man with a little girl showing him and Kazunari their widest smiles while saying "Trick or treat!"

"Aaaah~ what a pretty witch you are!" Masaki bent down and examined the little girl with sparkling eyes. "You’re new in the area, right? What’s your name?"

"Matsumoto Ai, nice to meet you!" the girl answered enthusiastically and bowed politely, almost dropping her huge hat.

"Ai-chan, is it? Nice to meet you too!" the man sitting in front of her smiled friendlily and happily shook her tiny hand. He then looked at the tall man with dark curly hair, who was wearing a magician's costume to match the girl's appearance. "Is this your Daddy?"

Ai nodded.

"Nice to meet you, erm..."

"Matsumoto Jun, nice to meet you too. Ai and I just moved in next door," the magician bowed and Masaki, still sitting in front of the little girl, nodded his head with a smile.

"I’m Aiba Masaki and this is my half-brother Ninomiya Kazunari," he pointed to his little brother who just bowed slightly before returning to his game. "We are vampires!" Masaki flashed his teeth for demonstration, Jun laughed and Ai looked stunned and she reached out her tiny hands and touched the man’s teeth.

"They feel so real!" she exclaimed amazed.

"They _are_ real!" Masaki muffled from under Ai's touch while Kazunari was staring at the two of them shortly, shocked, before cursing that his gaming character had died again, this time because he hadn’t paid enough attention to what was happening on the small screen.

"Haha, Aiba-san is surely a funny neighbor, right, Ai?" Jun giggled. "That costume is really well done, Aiba-san!"

"Thank you!" Masaki grinned and finally handing out some candy and pumpkin muffins to Ai, her eyes sparkling. "I hope, you'll have a lot of fun this evening, Ai-chan. Make sure to grab a lot of candies, will you?"

"I'm sure, she will, she's the best in collecting candies on Halloween," Jun assured his neighbor and smiled at his little daughter who nodded excitedly. "Let's take our leave, Ai. There are still a lot of houses we have to go to."

"It's great that finally someone moved into the house next door, it's a really beautiful house, isn’t it? Let's become good neighbors, Matsumoto-san!" Masaki bowed slightly again, Jun mirroring his action. "We should have dinner together some time! I bet you're still busy with everything, but what about coming to our place on some evening next week?"

Jun lifted his hand and brushed it through some strands of hair which peaked out from underneath his magician hat, "Aiba-san, that's a really nice offer but I don't want to create any extra work to you."

"Oh, no, no, you won't!" Masaki quickly waived off. "I'm cooking dinner every evening anyway. What about Monday, 7 o'clock?"

"Alright," Jun smiled. "But please let me help you with preparations."

"You can't cook, Daddy," Ai-chan pointed out and looked at her father surprised, causing Masaki to laugh.

"Thank you, Ai. But I can help!" Jun assured to Masaki, who was amused by the little girl's comment.

"I'm glad for any helping hand, Matsumoto-san! And Ai-chan can play a bit Wii with Kazunari while we're doing the cooking," Masaki suggested.

"I'm not a babysitter," a grumpy voice behind him murmured but Masaki ignored it.

"So until Monday, 7 o'clock in the evening. I'm looking forward to meeting you two then!" Masaki said excited and Jun nodded in response, "Have fun tonight, Ai-chan, see you soon!"

"See you, Vampire-san!" the small girl replied happily and when she and her father left the garden, she turned around again and waved at Masaki and Kazunari, earning an excited wave from the older man and another, still critical look of the other who snorted then shortly and turned around. Ai didn't mind.

**_TBC_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to housekini for helping me with the Italian part in the beginning of chapter 2! 


	3. Making Friends

"My name is Matsumoto Ai. Nice to meet you all, please treat me nicely," the young girl bowed slightly and let her eyes wander over her new classmates.

Some of them looked at her curiously, two girls whispered to each other before darting their eyes at her again and Ai bit her lower lip slightly. A few boys stared at her curiously, while others ignored her completely and then, there was a girl with glasses at the last row who was just sending her a friendly smile. Ai looked at the girl for a moment and averted her eyes again.

"Thank you, Ai-chan, I hope, you’ll like it in our class, right everybody?" the teacher, a likely to be nice young woman called Takei – Ai didn’t know her well yet after all – flashed her a smile before she pointed at an empty seat, "You can take place in the back row, right next to Konomi-chan."

Ai nodded slightly and walked to the back of the room, eyeing her new classmates whom she quickly passed by. She felt so weird… she knew none of them and it felt like they were staring at her shamelessly. Even if she has already changed schools quite often for her young age, this was something she would never get used to. She hated it.

"Nice to meet you, I’m Watanabe Konomi," the friendly smiling girl with glasses said in excitement as Ai reached the table next to her, "I have two older sisters and a dog called Pocky. He’s a West Highland Terrier. I like rainy days, dancing, playing cards and video games. And chocolate. What about you?"

A bit irritated by the chatty attitude of her new sitting neighbor, Ai looked at the tiny girl, surprised by the sudden flood of information.

"Ehm… I," Ai started while she put down her school bag and settled at her new place, not sure what to answer the girl who gave her a curious look with her big round eyes.

"Konomi-chan, make friends with Ai-chan after our lesson, will you?" Takei-sensei cut in the conversation and both girls sat up straight.

"That’s right," Konomi whispered to Ai, "Let’s become good friends, Ai-chan!"

Under the table, when the teacher wasn’t watching while she was writing something on the blackboard, Konomi secretly slipped a candy bar to the other girl, still wearing a wide smile. Ai looked at the candy and gulped. It was one of her favorites. Maybe, getting to know new people in this town wasn’t all that bad, she thought as she put it into her pocket, answering Konomi’s smile shyly.

+++++

His lips pursed and his arms positioned in a thinking posture, the man let his eyes wander around between three colorful small packages that he had arranged in front of him. He sighed in thoughts before he turned around to face his brother.

"What do you think Ai-chan prefers? Vanilla pudding? Chocolate? Strawberry flavor?"

Masaki was already busy in the kitchen, even if 7 o’clock was still two hours away. Kazunari was sitting on the floor after his brother has pulled him out of his room and forced him to help out with the preparations for the upcoming dinner with their new neighbors. Anyway, this didn’t stop the younger from continuing his game and so he just quickly glanced at his brother when he paused his game for a second.

"Strawberry flavor is made from sawdust. I doubt that you want a child to eat that," he stated simply and returned to his game.

Masaki stared at him, frowning. "What do _you_ know about flavors?"

"So why are you asking _me_ what I think little girls like?!" the younger snorted. "By the way, I saw a documentary the other night and they mentioned what shit is in such products. I don’t need to be allergic to food to not wanting this poison my body. "

His brother slightly shook his head, ignoring Kazunari’s aggressive comment and continued to reach out to one of the packages. "Alright, then Vanilla it is. I hope, she’s not allergic to milk."

"She’s a little girl. She’ll be able to eat your pudding, Masaki."

"Sorry for being a bit traumatized by the topic of food allergies," the older answered snarkily.

Kazunari jumped up, putting his 3DS onto the kitchen table. "Hey, it’s not _my_ fault that I –"

"Well, well, calm down people, what’s going on here?" Satoshi interrupted the upcoming argument as he came into the kitchen and put his hands on top of his youngest brother’s shoulders.

"Satoshi! You want to join the dinner preparations too?" Masaki asked happily, reaching out to the small pot with hot milk on the hot plate, in which he now put the prepared pudding flavor.

"I’m here to sacrifice myself as the taster."

The oldest brother grinned, searching the kitchen for first hints of the announced dinner. To his regret, there wasn’t anything ready yet and so he quickly left the kitchen again after making sure that his brothers won’t be picking up a fight over something small again.

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"Good evening, Vampire-san," Ai-chan bowed politely when the door swung open and Masaki welcomed her and her father with a broad smile on his face. "We’re sorry for being late."

"Ai-chan, don’t worry, it’s just 5 minutes," Masaki patted her hair. "Come on in you two, I’m in the middle of preparing the salad.

"Please let me help you," Jun smiled and handed his host a bottle of wine who then bowed while thanking for the present.

Masaki put it aside for a moment, reaching out to get Jun’s and Ai’s coats to hang them up on the wardrobe next to the door before offering his guests some fluffy slippers.

"I’ll show you the way to the kitchen," he said smiling at Jun and picked up the bottle again to take it with him. He then looked at Ai again, who had such big eyes as she observed her neighbor’s house. "What do you think, Ai-chan, would you like to play a game with my little brother? He just set up his Wii in the living room. I think, he has got the new Super Mario game."

"Really?! May I play with Vampire-san’s little brother, Daddy? May I?" the young girl sounded excited suddenly.

"You like games?" Masaki asked happily.

She nodded again.

"Alright, but only until it’s time for dinner," Jun allowed his daughter and she happily jumped into the living room after nodding in agreement.

"Hello, I’m Ai, may I join in the game?" she asked Kazunari when she reached him.

Kazunari didn’t look very pleased and glanced at his brother and his guest who were both flashing him a broad smile and he just rolled his eyes quickly and gave in, groaning. "If you want to… do you have any gaming experience?"

"I do!" Ai said and started listing the games she already knew as she got handed a controller and Kazunari gestured her to sit down next to him.

"Puberty?" Jun asked Aiba, whispering behind a hand, making an invisible hint into the living room.

Masaki snorted and after confirming that Kazunari wasn’t listening, he whispered back, "Well, you could say so."

They enjoyed dinner, a mixed salad with tomatoes, carrots and cucumber as an appetizer, followed by steak with potatoes and a delicious sauce - one of Masaki’s original recipes. The enthusiastic cook had even prepared a small schnitzel for Ai in case the girl didn’t like steak but he quickly learned that no matter what kind of meat, the girl loved it. With that, all of them shared the schnitzel in order not to waste it.

During dinner, Ai was worried a bit about Kazunari, who – as always – didn’t join in the eating and just sat there watching them with a disgusted face. Satoshi explained to her that his brother was allergic to a lot of different types of food and that he had eaten ahead already. But nevertheless, she tried to feed him with a bit of her salad, and Kazunari had to push her hand away more than once until he ended up yelling at her that he didn’t want to eat. Instead of being hurt by the sudden attack, Ai just shrugged her shoulders and remarked that Kazunari would never grow up into an attractive man if he didn’t eat properly, causing the other to gape at her voicelessly. Masaki chuckled, complimenting Ai on her smart comment and then happily ate the bite she offered to him in turn with a proud smile while Kazunari slightly upset left the table to continue his game. When Masaki wanted to scold him, Jun held him back with a gentle smile and continued complimenting the food, which made Masaki pretty happy. 

Jun finally told them a bit more about him and Ai, how they had traveled the world already because of his job as a designer and how they finally decided to settle down, and running his business from home. It was better for children to grow up in a stable environment, after all, the young father stated and the others agreed. After that, Ai started telling the three men everything about her first day at school, about how some girls told her that her clothes are fashionable (clothes that her father made, she said proudly) and about Konomi, the little girl with glasses that already tried to befriend her. While Jun was looking at her proudly and praised her for going to school finally, Masaki looked at the two with a loving smile. What a cute little family they were, he thought. Suddenly, the growing wish of being part of them filled his pounding heart, which was beating slightly faster.

After eating the dessert – fortunately it turned out that vanilla pudding was Ai’s favorite – Satoshi excused himself to continue working on his latest painting and Ai asked her dad if she could join Kazunari for another round of gaming. Jun allowed her to ask the other and as Masaki stood up to clean the table, his guest joined him, even if the other wanted to decline his help. They took the empty plates and glasses with them into the kitchen.

"Thanks for your help, Matsumoto-san," Masaki smiled.

"I’m sorry, Aiba-san, but I wanted to talk to you about those teeth," Jun said in a low voice as they arrived in the kitchen, and heard an excited squeal from Ai and an unnerved moan from Kazunari who seemed to have gotten attacked by the giggling girl.

Masaki chuckled. "She already developed a liking for my brother, huh?"

"Aiba-san…," the other repeated.

"Sorry, I was distracted. The house is so lively today, I really enjoy it," Masaki turned around after putting aside the used dishes and flashed a smile at Jun. "So, my teeth?" he flashed the other a broad smile, showing the teeth in question.

Jun scratched the back of his head a little embarrassed, obviously searching for the right words. "I guess since they look so real, you must be pretty proud of them but why are you still wearing them? Halloween has been over for a few days, also Ai-chan knows that. So if you wanted to entertain her –"

"Ah, no, no," lifting his hand, Masaki started his defense. "It’s nothing like that, really! I just, you see… those are my _real_ teeth! Look!" the man then opened his mouth and touched his teeth, shaking them to prove that they weren’t just some fake teeth of a costume.

Jun stared at the other amazed. "Really?! You have such sharp canine teeth?!"

Masaki nodded, his fingers still poking against his teeth, "When I was a child, they didn’t stop growing until they were this size. I guess, you must think that it’s pretty strange, right?"

"But children might believe that they are _real_ vampire teeth!"

"Well yeah, that’s part of the problem… they love it on Halloween but otherwise they are afraid of me. But Ai-chan isn’t afraid of me, is she?" Masaki asked the other man, feeling excited.

"No, she’s not," Jun confirmed, not able to suppress a smile when he saw the delight in the other man’s eyes. "She loves Halloween and spooky creatures. When she was in Kindergarten, she even searched for a ghost wanting to befriend with him and I barely managed to convince her that it would be much better to get a _real_ friend."

"Your little daughter is so adorable!"

"But you should tell her that you’re not a _real_ vampire, Aiba-san."

"Well, if you insist…," the man shrugged his shoulders.

Ai reacted a bit suspiciously when Masaki told her that despite his sharp teeth, he wasn’t a real vampire. She looked at him questioning, then to her father and then back to Masaki. Jun didn’t realize that Masaki winked towards Ai (well, tried to wink) and only then, the girl nodded with a smile. Jun was obviously relieved that this topic was cleared. He didn’t want his daughter to get a wrong idea, after all.

Masaki poured another glass of red wine for Jun. They continued chatting for a while, Masaki sharing some tips about good spots for shopping in town, recommending Jun his favorite ice cream shop and whatever else that came to his mind. Curious as the young man was, he also asked a lot of stuff related to Jun and Ai's past, lowering his voice so that Ai, who was still playing games with Kazunari, couldn't hear them. Like that, he found out about Jun's profession as a designer for clothes and about the fact that Ai was the child he had with his ex-girlfriend, a famous model who wasn't able to quit her career for her child.

"I'm sure it must have been hard when she left," Masaki assumed, looking pitiful at Ai who finally became tired and had leaned against Kazunari, asleep while the other just continued his game in single mode, not waking up the young girl.

"It was a bit hard all alone in the beginning, but I didn't miss her. I knew from the beginning that she'd not be the type of woman to build a family with. Now, Ai is my family and she's more than enough for me," Jun answered with a loving smile on his face as he watched Kazunari pulling a blanket over his daughter a bit clumsily.

When Jun's eyes met Masaki's, the latter answered the young man's smile. "I have to admit, I'm a bit envious, you must be really happy, the two of you."

"Well, we try our best," Jun answered and finally stood up after drinking the last drop of wine, "I guess it's time for Ai to go to bed, it might be better if we took our leave now. Thank you very much for this nice evening, Aiba-san."

The young man stood up and approached the living room, freeing Kazunari from the small weight at his side as he lifted Ai from the couch. He thanked the young man for accompanying his daughter and letting her join him in his game and Kazunari just nodded without saying anything. Masaki chuckled a bit, enjoying watching his little brother being slightly socially awkward in such situations. Though he didn't miss the fact that his brother tagged the blanket in place to cover the little girl in her father's arms, even if he didn't bother to answer when Jun asked if it was fine to borrow the blanket to carry Ai back home.

Masaki accompanied Jun to the door and when he bid him good night, Jun insisted that Masaki and his brothers should come and visit his and Ai's house on the weekend for lunch, promising that he would drop by the next day or the day after to return the blanket and fix a proper date. Masaki flashed his new neighbor a happy smile and nodded in agreement, ensuring him that he would be looking forward to visiting them.

Once the neighbors had finally left the place, the house fell silent again. Kazunari immediately excused himself to return to his room. He took along the Wii with him, making Masaki wonder if he should insist on his brother leaving the console in the living room. Like that, Kazunari would at least be more present in the house even if he was only gaming. But for now, the older brother didn’t say anything.

Instead, he decided to do a last few chores in the kitchen while spying out of the window to catch a last glimpse at the Matsumotos, with a smile adorning his face. He could see his new neighbors entering their house, the lights switching on. He followed the movement of the light with his eyes until everything went dark again. Jun had surely brought Ai straight to bed. What a caring father the young man was, and Masaki admired him for that. More than that, Jun had been a great help in the kitchen after dinner so there wasn’t much left to do and Masaki quickly finished his tasks.

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The weekend couldn't have come fast enough, Masaki thought. He was looking forward to meeting his new neighbors for days now, after Jun had dropped by the other day to return the borrowed blanket and invite the three brothers for lunch at noon on Saturday. Masaki had marked the date with a red circle on his planner in the kitchen. He asked his brothers to accompany him and he wasn't surprised when Kazunari refused to leave the house while Satoshi was curious about what Jun might cook for them.

Nevertheless, before heading to their neighbors, Masaki tried his luck again in getting his little brother out of his room. When he and Satoshi were ready, dressed up casually but nicely and with some small presents ready to take along with them, they stood in front of Kazunari's room and Masaki knocked at the door.

"Kazu, you really don't want to come along with us?" Masaki asked without opening.

"Nope," a voice could be heard and Masaki sighed.

"I'm sure, Ai-chan will be disappointed if you don't come along, and I’m sure she wants to play with you again!" Masaki pointed out. This was followed by an unnerved groan from the other side of the door.

"I told you once and I am telling you again, I'm _not_ a babysitter!"

Masaki opened his mouth again to protest, wanting to tell his brother that that wasn’t his intention but Satoshi just put his hand on his brother's shoulder and slightly shook his head.

"Alright, in case you need something, you know where we are," he said instead and after waiting for another few seconds to maybe catch an answer from the younger, which never came, Masaki and Satoshi left the place.

Just a few minutes later, they rang the doorbell and soon, Ai-chan opened up the door with a bright smile and an anticipating look on her face.

"Hello!" she said happily. "Daddy, Vampire-san and his brothers are here!" she then yelled excitedly into the house, maybe in the direction of the kitchen. When she turned around again, she looked a bit puzzled though, letting her eyes dart around, searching. "Eh? Where is Kazu-kun?"

"Ah, I'm really sorry, Ai-chan, but Kazu... doesn't leave the house that much, you see? He won't come today," Masaki bent down to meet Ai's height as he explained the situation to her.

"Hm... really?" she asked, obviously disappointed, "That's a pity, I wanted to show him a new game that Daddy bought for me..."

Masaki smiled at her, "I'm sure, you can bring it along next time when you visit us and show it to him then, alright?"

Ai nodded and her smile returned.

"Oh, Aiba-san, Ohno-san, it's only you two today?" Jun asked as he approached them, cleaning his hands a little on the sides of his apron before stopping in front of his guests and bent slightly to greet them.

"It seems, Kazu-kun is afraid to leave the house," Ai explained to him, slightly pouting.

"Afraid?" her father asked wondering and darted a questioning look at Masaki who stood up again and smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Well..."

"I saw it on TV once," Ai barged in. "He's like one of those people called "hikikomori", right? He locks himself in, gaming all day long and doesn't want to go out to meet other-"

"Ai! You can't just call someone's brother a _hikikomori_ , that's really impolite! Which kind of TV program are you watching, anyway?" Jun said in shock, putting his hands on his daughter's shoulders to enforce his statement. He then looked at the two brothers again.

Just when Jun wanted to apologize for his daughter, Satoshi cut into the conversation with a smile and waved his hand slightly. "Don't worry, Matsumoto-san, you know, Ai-chan isn't that wrong. We're sorry that it's just the two of us today."

"Oh...," Jun looked at them a bit embarrassed and obviously insecure on how to respond. "Don't worry, that's no problem. Please come in."

He stepped aside, letting his guests in and giving them some slippers they could use. Then he showed them the way into the house. He let them go first and caught on his daughter as the little girl wanted to follow the others. He bent down and gently grabbed her tiny wrist, holding her back.

"Ai, listen. I told you not to call Aiba-san "Vampire-san", didn't I? Please behave," he told her in a low voice, hoping that the others wouldn't hear him.

Ai rolled her eyes but seemed to give in, "Ye~s, I know... I'm sorry."

"Alright. Now go and show them around a bit while I finish the appetizers, alright?"

"Will you be fine in the kitchen? Shouldn't I help you?"

"I'm totally fine, thank you, young lady," Jun pouted a little. "Now go!"

"Ye~s."

+++++

When Satoshi entered their house again after he had excused himself from the gathering with their new neighbors, it was already late afternoon. He had to leave because he wanted to get ready for his date later in town, while Masaki had gladly accepted Jun and Ai's offer to stay for dinner since he already was there, anyway. The small group had played cards after lunch for a while and even if Satoshi wasn't the biggest fan of parlor games, he had to admit that it had been pretty fun having such a clever little girl around. Definitely amusing.

The man was surprised to hear noises from the kitchen when he passed the hallway. He went to check if Kazunari needed something but only found him getting a glass of water that the young man gulped down as he swallowed some of his pills. The younger brother then turned around and he noticed Satoshi.

"Wow, you're back already? Did they run out of desert?" the sarcastic undertone in Kazunari's voice couldn't be mistaken.

"Wow, and you actually remember to take your pills for once?" Satoshi replied in the same tone, poking his brother's side.

"Don't mock me, Satoshi..."

"Sorry. I'm going to change, I'm meeting someone for dinner in town."

"Yui-chan?" this time, Kazunari poked the other.

Satoshi paused for a second before he answered. "No, she's not back from her journey yet. I'll meet Maki-chan."

"I see... Where's Masaki?" the younger continued, even if he already knew the answer.

"He's still at the Matsumotos' and it doesn't seem like he'd come back soon," Satoshi chuckled a bit amused.

"He likes them, doesn't he?" Kazunari asked, attempting to sound casual.

"Well... he's head over heels for that little girl and he gets along well with Matsumoto-san."

"Matsumoto-san will kick his ass once Masaki's attitude becomes too creepy... he's too obsessed with children..."

"By the way, Ai-chan missed you," Satoshi grinned.

"... Really?" Kazunari looked at him critically.

"She wanted to play games with you again, I think. Oh and she called you a _hikikomori_. She's pretty clever for her age, if you ask me."

"Oh shut up," Nino said, ignoring the side blow. "She's just a little brat..."

"Why don't you join them if you feel left out?" Satoshi couldn't resist poking his youngest brother again.

"What?! I don't feel - I still have to finish my game," the younger brother slightly pursed his lips.

"Sure."

Kazunari didn't reply any longer and preferred heading back to his room, trying to hide the rolling of his eyes and his slightly sulking posture. Satoshi just shrugged his shoulders and left the kitchen too to get upstairs and prepare for an evening with one of the most beautiful young women in town, planning to bring her home after a nice dinner. After all, it was time for refilling their stocks.

_**TBC** _


	4. Nicknames and Batteries

Soon after Satoshi had left the place, Ai announced that she had enough of playing card games and enthusiastically went searching for some other games that she could play with Masaki and her father. She chose Jenga and even if Jun didn’t look so amused about this suggestion, she set up the blocks on the low table in the living room and called the two men to join her. She proved her skills very quickly and soon it seemed that Jun was the one having the most trouble with this game, which Masaki and the little girl found pretty funny.

After a few rounds of Jenga, Ai complained that she felt hungry again and when her father forbid her to go into the kitchen to get some sweets, he suggested in exchange that they could start making dinner. Masaki had already agreed on staying and even if Jun had not planned anything special for the evening, Masaki quickly came up with a nice idea – making pizza by themselves.

Jun was basically on a loss. There weren’t that many dishes he could cook and also Ai never made pizza on her own. But as expected, the little girl was totally in love with the idea! After checking the Matsumoto’s kitchen, Masaki found most of the ingredients that they would need but a few things were missing. The young man was sure though that he had them at home and so he offered to go and get them at his place.

Ai offered to come along to help him carry the stuff and even if Masaki was sure that he would be capable to carry the stuff alone, he let the little girl come along.

Masaki was a bit surprised when he entered the house and found his little brother sulking on the couch in front of the TV, zapping through the programs. Ai immediately jumped at the young man for a small hug and gave him a wide smile.

"Kazu-kun! How are you?" she asked but when she didn’t get any response other than an unnerved grunt, she continued the attempted conversation on her own. "Don’t you want to come along with us? We’re making some pizza! Do you like pizza?"

"No, I don’t and I don’t want to come along either, thank you," Kazunari answered slightly rolling his eyes. 

Masaki came into the living room too, chuckling at the sight of Ai loosely hanging around his brother’s neck while the other tried to get a better look at the television again.

"You’re sure?" Ai pouted slightly, looking into the young man’s eyes.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Come on, Ai-chan, your Daddy is waiting for us. Let him sulk, it’s his own fault if he misses the fun," Masaki said after he found all of the desired ingredients and offered her his hand.

She sighed slightly, hugged Kazunari again to say good-bye and then happily ran to Masaki, taking his hand with her left one while she asking him what she could carry for him. The man gave her a package of different colored bell peppers and after saying good-bye to his little brother, the two left the place again, not seeing Kazunari’s still slightly annoyed look as he observed them leaving.

+-+-+

Making pizza together took some time but it was a lot of fun and the taste was worth all the work and the waiting, Ai agreed with the two men as they shared dinner on the dining table. They made so much pizza that not only they were full for what felt like the next 2 weeks, but there was still enough left for Ai to bring along for lunch at school on Monday. Furthermore, she insisted on Masaki taking some with him to give it to Satoshi and Kazunari later on and Masaki gladly accepted her offer.

After dinner, it was already dark outside, Ai asked her father if she could watch some movie on TV. A special to a dorama series that she loved and she wanted to watch, she told the other two men. First, Jun wasn’t really convinced that this was a good idea and he asked Ai if she prefer playing another round of cards as long as Masaki was here, but she pouted and gave him puppy eyes, and clang to Masaki’s arm, asking him if he wanted to watch the movie too.

Laughing, the man agreed and so they convinced Jun to join them in the living room on the couch to watch the movie.

The movie was quit entertaining, Masaki thought. A story about a young girl, who was able to see the future in their dreams – encoded in bizarre pictures of course – and a young female teacher who helped to interpret the dreams and tried to change the future for the better together with the girl. It was a bit strange and the effects seemed a bit cheap sometimes but considering the content and what he knew about Ai so far, he was sure that the movie was completely for her taste. The little girl sat in between the two men, cuddling with both of them in turns, talking about the movie, totally engaged in the characters and the story. Masaki joined her excitement, obviously enjoying it. He smiled broadly at the girl’s enthusiastic behavior and when his eyes crossed Jun’s, the latter couldn’t not smiling either, before he quickly looked away trying to focus on the movie again.

Despite her excitement, Ai became tired quickly and it became harder and harder for her to hide her yawns and to focus onto the movie without her eyes falling shut every few minutes. Her head leaned on her father’s lap while Masaki had allowed her to put her feet onto his, his own hand bedded slightly on top of a blanket that he had used to cover the little girl. Two commercial breaks earlier, Jun had taken the TV’s receiver and had started recording the rest of the movie on the hard disc, just in case Ai fell asleep.

Which she finally did… around half an hour before the movie was supposed to end. Masaki was about to ask Ai something about the characters but as he turned to look at the girl, her eyes were closed and her chest was rising slowly from the deep breathing. Jun exchanged another smile with Masaki, who carefully reached out his hand and brushed his fingers slightly over Ai’s cheek.

"She’s so beautiful… just like a little angel," he whispered in a low voice in order not to wake her while Jun lowered the volume of the TV when the last commercial break started.

"Don’t let yourself get fooled though," the young father chuckled. "If she wants, she can be a little devil too."

"I’m sure, that’s just because she’s such a smart child!"

"Stop complimenting my daughter, please. I know, she’s perfect," Jun tried to keep it serious but obviously failed as his lips curled up into a smirk.

"Like father, like daughter," Masaki said and Jun blushed slightly.

"Don’t complement _me_ , Aiba-san, that’s embarrassing. I’m far from being a perfect father…"

Masaki smiled warmly again as Jun’s shy look crossed his gaze. "You managed it till now, without a mother and Ai-chan became such a lovely and smart child, I’m sure you didn’t do that much wrong."

"I’m the only family she has, I’m giving my best for her. At least, I try to and she really is a kind soul and a nice child," Jun looked down at his little daughter, his hand lovingly brushing over her dark hair. "We’re taking care of each other. I’m sure for you and your brothers it’s the same, isn’t it?"

Masaki hummed in a low voice but sounded a bit lost in thoughts and when Jun lifted his head again and gave his guest a wondering look, the young man sighed. "In fact, it’s not that easy… to be honest, I had some really troublesome times… and still have them sometimes."

"Are you talking about Kazunari-kun?" Jun asked carefully.

Slightly biting his lip, Masaki nodded.

"I guess, teenagers are complicated, right? You once said, you’re half-brothers, right? May I ask what is about your parents?" Jun continued, not sure if Masaki would be willing to tell him about his family background.

"We’re half-brothers, yes. We grew up only with our father for some years without knowing our mothers. That was, until he bought this house for us and decided to leave the country once Satoshi was old enough to take over the responsibility," well, that wasn't the 100% the truth... but it was the truth that people who didn't know about the brothers' secret got. Masaki felt a small stab in his heart knowing that he was lying to that young nice man in front of him; but in order to protect his family, this was necessary.

"Is he the oldest among you?" Jun then asked, blushing slightly and quickly adding, "Ah, I don't mean that you look like the oldest brother but you are _behaving_ like the oldest brother, it seems like you're the one connecting the family."

Masaki laughed, trying to not get too loud. "Don't worry, it's OK. Satoshi doesn't look particularly old, right? And yeah... I'm more or less the one organizing the family, I guess it looks like I'm the boss. But in fact, without Satoshi, I wouldn't have managed to take care of Kazunari. He was a huge help. Nevertheless, for Kazunari, it wasn't easy either. We had no choice but to accept the situation but he as the youngest had a hard time doing so. Adding to the situation, he always had a weak constitution and was a pretty sad child, without friends and such... and when he grew older, he started to rebel and that’s where we are still stuck, even if I have to admit that it was much worse sometimes! More than once he almost drove us crazy..."

"Nevertheless you love your brother and take care of him," Jun concluded.

"Of course we do. We’re family, right?"

Again, Masaki and Jun exchanged friendly smiles. It was strange but Masaki felt that there was some common understanding between them, something that he never shared with anybody before. It was different from the bond that he felt with his brothers whom he lived with for ages, it was definitely different but it made his heart feel warm and comfy. They didn't talk for a few minutes, just looking at each other, Masaki started to feel a bit... not uncomfortable but... nervous. He averted his eyes, focusing onto the TV screen again, which showed the last few minutes of the movie. He slightly cleared his throat and then looked a bit shyly back to Jun who had lowered his look too, watching his daughter sleeping innocently.

"If you...," Masaki started and Jun turned his head towards him again. "If you ever need some help with Ai-chan… I have some experience in taking care of a child, so, just ask me, alright?"

Jun smiled again, the smile that Masaki liked so much. "Thank you very much for the offer, I can just repeat it. I’m not experienced with teenagers yet but… in case you need someone to talk to, I’m here."

"Thanks so much, Matsumoto-san!"

"Oh, you know what? Please call me Jun."

Masaki was beaming with happiness and excitedly asked Jun to call him by his given name too, of course. The two men continued talking for a bit longer while switching channels to a music program for a comfy background noise. They talked about Ai, about Masaki’s family, about their work. Masaki told Jun that he only had a part time job as cleaning staff of a large office building in the city during some nights of the week, while Satoshi was a freelancer painter and Kazunari… well, did nothing in particular lately. They didn’t have to work that much though, since their father was kind of wealthy so it wasn't a problem but Masaki just wished, his little brother would find something in his life that would make him come out of his cave normally known as bedroom from time to time. To find something meaningful in his life...

Masaki himself would know exactly what he would do, if he had the chance to. He would like to work with children. He told Jun about his old dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher or a primary school teacher, he told him about his attempts to get accepted by colleges in order to get a degree but because of his stupid long teeth, people had advised him to better pick another job in which he wouldn't scare little children away. Jun looked at his new friend with sympathy and told him that whenever Masaki wanted to spend some time with him and Ai, he would be welcomed in their house. 

+-+-+

Since that evening, Masaki and Jun had become pretty close friends and started to meet regularly,. Whenever Jun and Ai came to visit the vampires' place, Ai would get Kazunari to play with her and the others and it surprised Masaki that even if his little brother was always complaining about his disinterest, in the end he seemed to be the most eager to win the games. When Ai defeated Kazunari in Jenga (in which he sucked, much to Jun's amusement, thinking that he wasn't the only potential loser any longer), the latter surely was in for another round of revenge. However, in his video games, he was sitting on the longer arm and Ai didn't stand a chance against him but unlike Kazunari, she wasn't such a bad loser.

Ai had finally stopped calling Masaki "Vampire-san", much to her father's relief. Instead, she now called him "Maa-chan". Masaki was pretty proud of his new nick name. Then, one day, when he (wearing a mask of course) was accompanying Jun and Ai to the playground where Ai met her school friend Komomi, Ai started referring to him as her potential new "mother". Jun chuckled amused while Masaki was close to tears of happiness, hearing that he played such an important role already in the girl's life who he had welcomed in his heart like she was his own child. The two men didn't care about Komomi's question if this would mean that Ai's father would have to marry Masaki – which was impossible of course! - and just looked at each other, bursting into laughter. Masaki was glad that the mask he was wearing hid his surely deeply red blushing cheeks.

Some time later, Jun called Masaki, canceling their dinner arrangement. Ai had returned home from school with a pretty high fever and it seemed like she had caught a flu, her father explained. Of course, Masaki didn't hesitate to drop by next door to check on the Matsumoto's – and not without bringing along some freshly made soup for Ai.

“Masaki, what should I do? It's been a while since she was ill so badly... I tried everything to get the fever down but it doesn't seem to work...," Jun was worried, Masaki could see it in the other man's eyes.

The young father sat on a chair next to his daughter's bed, cooling her head with a cold wet towel and holding her hand. The young girl's face was red from the fever, her breath sounded heavy and Masaki wasn't completely sure, if she was awake or sleeping when he saw her tossing and turning in her small bed, agonized by a really unhealthy sounding cough.

"Do you think I should drive her to the hospital?"

Masaki felt sorry for Jun who seemed so desperate and seeing Ai like this was really worrying. He wondered what to do too, trying to remember what he and Satoshi did when Kazunari had been ill... of course, it wasn't helping because there was no possibility of them going to the hospital or to a doctor, risking the possibility of revealing the secret behind the three brothers. It had been Kimura, scientist and friend of their father and the one who helped to develop Kazunari's blood pills, who was taking care of, who helped the family at times like these. They could always call him...

Suddenly, Masaki wondered, if there wasn't anyone they could call in this situation. Not Kimura, of course but a doctor maybe. Didn't he once hear something about a doctor living in the neighborhood? Leaving Jun alone wondering, Masaki dashed down the stairs and searched for the local telephone book, which he was glad to have found quickly next to the telephone in the corridor. He grabbed it and browsed the pages, searching for a doctor in the area and there it was.

Five minutes later, Masaki had made an appointment with a private pediatrician, whose practice was only a few streets away and who promised to drop by in twenty minutes at the latest. Jun showed visible relief when Masaki told him the news and together they waited patiently, Masaki letting his hand resting on Jun's shoulder to encourage the other man and to lend him his strength.

Just as expected, about fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang and Masaki went to let in the doctor and lead him upstairs. It was a young man, maybe around his age that stood in front of the door, dressed in jeans and a casual nice sweater, not looking like a doctor at all. Maybe only his bag hinted toward his profession, as seemed like a typical doctor's bag, like one of those that could be seen in some old movies. He looked a bit surprised by Masaki – probably staring at the man's long teeth – but he quickly found his composure and Masaki decided that this wasn't the right time to explain a stranger the thing with his teeth, so he brushed the topic aside mentally. Thankfully, the other seemed to be sympathetic enough to not touch the subject from his own. There were more important things to do.

"Ah - I came here as fast as possible," the man said, greeting Masaki with a bow. "I'm the pediatrician, Sakurai Sho, nice to meet you."

"I'm Aiba Masaki, the neighbor of the Matsumotos, I'm the one who called you. Thanks for coming so fast, Sensei, please follow me upstairs, Ai-chan is in her bed."

It didn't take long for the doctor to examine Ai, diagnosing that she had bronchitis and handing Jun a recipe for medications that he could get at the pharmacy when the first samples that he gave him out of his doctor's bag were used up. He gave some more advices on what they could do to decrease Ai's suffering and handed Jun a business card, telling him that he could reach him 24 hours a day in case of an emergency and that he would drop by again in three days to check on the little girl.

Fortunately, Ai was feeling much better three days later when the doctor paid another visit to her. She was still in bed and coughing, her voice more gone than present, but she was talking boldly again and complaining that she was bored and wanted to play video games with Kazunari. She seemed to get along pretty well with the doctor too, who got her to call him by his given name on the spot (he later told Jun and Masaki that like this, children would trust him more easily and that this was also the reason why he didn't dress up like a doctor). When Jun and Ai visited him another three days later at his doctor's practice for a last check, Ai was almost fully recovered. She already gave him a proper nickname, like she did with all of her friends, as she said proudly.

+++++

As the season had turned to winter, it was getting colder and colder outside. In the meantime, it became an almost daily practice for Masaki to interact with his now-not-so-new-any-longer neighbors and even Kazunari had gotten more or less used to it.

Nevertheless, from time to time, the youngest brother needed a bit time for himself and so he took the chance with the release of a new Wii-game to withdraw into this room for a couple of days and Masaki seemed to have the insight to not disturb him – thank God.

Whenever Kazunari finally came out of his room, he often found a handwritten note from his brother on the living room table, stating that he was out with the Matsumotos doing this or that or whatever. Well, more than Kazunari, it was actually Satoshi who often lamented about it because this meant that he had to cook for himself from time to time. Kazunari found it a bit annoying too. No, he wasn't jealous or something like that just because Masaki had found some new friends to play with and didn’t take care of his little problematic brother around the clock anymore. He didn't need his brother's cooking either, so... Kazunari pretended not to care...

As such, one day the tragedy happened.

"Masa-nii? Sato-nii? I need some batteries, do you have some-," Kazunari asked when he came out of his room just to find the house silent and empty…again.

He sharpened his ears but couldn't hear the smallest sound from his brothers. He sighed, most likely, Masaki was at the neighbors again and who knew where Satoshi might be. The young man took a look around while he ruffled his hand through his messy hair, murmuring grumpily until he found a hand-written note lying on the kitchen table. It was Masaki's handwriting.

_"Hello little brother, you gaming-addict,_

_Since you got a new game, I'm going light on you and forgive you for not appearing for dinner for the last few days, but if you decide to come out of your cave and find this piece of writing, this means that Satoshi is still on his two days trip with his girlfriend Yui-chan -"_

At this part, there was a note inserted, scribbled in Satoshi's neatly handwriting, stating that _"Yui-chan ISN'T my girlfriend!"_ followed by Masaki's _"But he'd like that..."_ before the message continued.

_"- and that I am out in town shopping with the Matsumotos. Ai-chan needs some new material for school and I wanted to show her and Jun that new Café in town. I would have invited you to join us but I know you wouldn’t come. Nonetheless, if you need something, call me!_

_Masaki"_

So Kazunari was all alone at home. Maybe he wouldn't even have noticed his brothers' absence if his Wii-remote didn't ran out of battery during his hard-core gaming session that lasted for almost two days already and he couldn’t find any replacements in his room. He had totally forgotten to store some batteries, he had to admit. He started searching for some in the living room or wherever Masaki could have stored some, but unfortunately, he didn't find any and so, after rummaging through some drawers, Kazunari finally gave up.

He slumped onto the couch in the living room and pulled out his cell phone that Masaki bought him some time ago. Not that Kazunari used it often, he didn't have friends to call or to text with and so he only used it in emergencies to call his brothers. Not that he used it often for that purpose either, because usually, they were simply there whenever he needed something but right now, yes, this was an emergency.

After Kazunari dialed Masaki's number, who had saved it onto speed dial #1 of course, he sighed deeply, when he heard some happy ring-tone coming from the kitchen.

"Damn, why he always tells me that I can call him and then he doesn't take his stupid cell phone with him...," he murmured frustrated and dropped his phone onto the pillows right next to him.

Well, now he had two options. First, stay here, sulking and wait for Masaki (maybe the whole day) to come back to tell him that he had to go out again to buy him some batteries (which Masaki most likely wouldn’t do so Kazunari would have to wait until tomorrow to continue his game), or second, go out on his own quickly buy some so that he could continue his gaming session in less than two hours. The young man rolled around a bit on the couch until he sighed deeply and stood up again. It couldn't be helped; he had to go out on his own to the supermarket.

With his decision made, Kazunari went back into his room, searching for his wallet, which he had thrown somewhere into his chaos of a room and then headed to the entrance to put on a coat (maybe it was one of Masaki's, Kazunari didn't even know if he had one for himself) and some shoes that seemed to be his size. Taking one of the keys that hang on the key-board next to the door, he left the house, pulling the hood of his jumper deep onto his face and headed down the street that must lead to the town's center, as far as he recalled from his last visit there, months ago. Kazunari hated going outside, so it didn't happen often and Masaki hadn’t force him to go along buying groceries for a long time now. He hoped that he would at least find the right supermarket...

Fortunately, he didn't have much difficulty finding it and so, about 20 minutes later, Kazunari was standing in the supermarket in front of a shelf filled with batteries. He pushed his hood a bit back as somehow he was feeling quite hot inside of the supermarket. He took a deep breath. The fast walk had been quite exhausting for him since he wasn't used to exercising, usually staying indoors the whole day, but he had wanted to hurry so that he could continue his game as soon as possible.

He found a row filled with AA batteries that would fit into his Wii remote and started to compare prices, taking some of the different trademarked products into his hands, as his sight suddenly started to get blurred. Kazunari squinted and tried to focus onto the written names of the batteries in his hands but somehow, it just didn't work. He felt dizzy and then he cursed, remembering that he had again forgotten to take his pills today. Damned, he should have known better...

Kazunari dropped the batteries when he started to search through his jeans' pockets hastily. Of course, he didn't take the pills with him, he had left them at home in his room, like always. He cursed again when he felt his knees weakening.

"Hey... Hey, are you alright? Hey!"

He could hear the worried voice of a man nearby and the sound of footsteps coming closer but before he could react in any way, Kazunari had lost consciousness and his weak body had crashed down to the floor.

_**TBC** _


	5. Fateful Encounter

"Ah, hey... you're alright?"

Kazunari heard a somehow familiar male voice next to him as he tried to open his eyes when he regained consciousness. He felt terribly tired, his throat was dry and his head was still dizzy when he tried to sit up and understand the situation.

"Ah, slowly, slowly! Take it slow, boy, you just blacked out!" the stranger next to Kazunari advised him, putting his hands on his arm and back to help him. "How are you feeling? You're terribly pale!"

"Hm?" Kazunari blinked his eyes, focusing onto the man next to him.

For a moment, he thought that the man's silhouette was glowing in a white light, it wasn't dazzling but somehow it created a warm atmosphere. The young half-vampire squinted his eyes again. He must have hit his head as he fell… and when he opened his eyes again, the said person looked just as normal as any other man. He had a decent appearance, dark brown hair and big round eyes as well as plum red lips, somehow he reminded Kazunari of someone he once met or was he still confused from his black out? However, without any reasons, he felt like this man was someone he could trust and the feeling surprised him.

The man, maybe in his late twenties, looked at Kazunari with a seriously troubled face. The half-vampire had never seen anyone looking at him like that except his brothers but he knew the exact meaning of it and he hated such pitiful looks.

"I'm fine," he answered, pushing the stranger's hand away from his arm slightly when he tried to get off the small couch he was laying on, most likely somewhere in the back of the supermarket, away from the curious looks of other customers.

The stranger slightly pushed him down again, "You're obviously not! You're pale, you fainted, your pulse is pretty low... you should take more rest! Shall I call an ambulance?"

"An ambulance?! Are you stupid?! I’m going home!" Kazunari nearly freaked out at the words of the stranger. 

There was no way that he would be going to the hospital, the doctors would examine him quite too closely and would find his body strange since he wasn’t a real human being after all and with that he would only cause more trouble.

"Alright, alright, calm down!" the man said and tried to keep the other from jumping up.

"Who the hell _are_ you anyway?!" Kazunari asked as he stopped trying to escape for a moment and looked at the alleged stranger with critical eyes.

"Ah, sorry for not introducing myself," the man answered as he turned around and reached for a small plastic cup filled with water, which he handed over to Kazunari who struggled a bit as his hands were shaking slightly when he took a sip. It was embarrassing but he felt awfully weak. 

"My name is Sakurai Sho, I just happened to be close to you when you fainted in the supermarket. One of the clerks helped me to bring you here. May I just check if you're alright?" the man continued and without waiting for Kazunari's answer, he reached out to the young man's face, touching it to feel the temperature of his cheeks and forehead. "Please follow my finger with your eyes."

Even if he didn't really want to follow and tried to back off, the man called Sho prevented Kazunari from escaping and so the latter ended up listening to that man. He followed the man’s finger with his eyes until he met the eyes of the other who now looked at him with such intensity that it made Kazunari hold his breath. Then, after a second, Sho's face lightened up and his firm expression turned into a friendly smile.

"Ah, thank God," he sighed, relieved. "Your reactions seem to be normal and you don't seem to have a fever, that's good. How are you feeling?"

"I'm... tired... that's all," Kazunari answered, avoiding the other man’s friendly look, which for some reasons was starting to confuse him. Why did this stranger care for him so much anyway?

"Does this happen often? That you collapse suddenly?" the man asked, another hint of worry in his eyes.

Kazunari took another sip of water before he answered, "Well, it happens... anyway, I just forgot to take my pills, nothing serious."

"What pills?" Sho asked curiously. "Are you suffering from some chronic disease?"

"I don't know why this should concern you uhm... Sakurai-san, was it? I'm just a bit anemic, that's all," Kazunari answered, knowing that he wasn't very polite but the other didn't seem to bother.

"I'm sorry for being so curious, that's just my occupational hazard, I'm a doctor, you see?" the man lifted his hand and scratched the back of his head while letting out a cute chuckle.

So he was a doctor, Kazunari thought; that must be why he has been so worried about a stranger. Part of the job description.

"Ah, what's your name?" the doctor asked the young man.

"Ninomiya Kazunari."

"Well, Kazunari-kun," Sho addressed the other too casually for his taste, "I don't think that you need to get transferred to the hospital, shall I call your parents for you to come and pick you up instead? Do they know that you're out shopping? I bet they are worried, when you didn't come home," the man continued talking.

"My _parents_?" Kazunari wondered, frowning at the other.

"Yeah, your parents."

"Wait, how old do you think, I am?!" slowly, the young man got an idea where this was coming from.

"Uhm... I don't know, 16, maybe 17?"

If Kazunari wasn’t still feeling that dizzy, he might have jumped up and rushed away but now the only thing that was left for him to do was to blush as he looked at the other man angrily, who quickly noticed that he might have said something wrong and slightly parted his lips as if he was about to say something else. But Kazunari was faster.

"I'm 27, damn it!" he cursed and then quickly looked away from the doctor's eyes.

"Really?!" Sho looked as if he just was told that Kazunari was Santa Claus. "Are you kidding me? My Gosh, you really look... young."

Kazunari sighed. Maybe, he shouldn't even blame Sho for thinking that he was still a teenager. Masaki told him pretty often, how young he looked and how lucky he was that he inherited this gene from his father. Kazunari himself wasn't really happy about anything that he had inherited from his father and looking like a teenager when he was already near his thirties was definitely not really something good either.

"So, are you living alone?"

"I'm living with my brothers," Kazunari answered. Was Sho still concerned about how he would get home or just awfully curious?

"I see. Shall we call them then so that _they_ can pick you up?"

"My oldest brother is on holiday and my second brother is out and left his cell phone at home."

"Hm... I see. Too bad," the doctor put his hand up to his chin and made a thinking gesture, "Well, then there's only one thing left," he continued and flashed a smile at the other man that made Kazunari feel irritated for some reason, which he couldn’t explain. "I'll take you home by my car."

"What?!"

"Come on, can you stand? I'll help you getting up."

Kazunari just stared at the man in front of him, skeptically. He knew the man only for maybe about ten minutes and now he was offering him a ride. If he was still a child, he would definitely decline the offer on the spot – remembering Masaki’s warning that he should never ever get into the car of a stranger – but now he was grown up and the man didn’t look like a kidnapper at all. Even more, he still seemed familiar somehow, which puzzled Kazunari greatly. Did they know each other? Though, the young man didn’t really have much experience with other human beings or with going out in general, so where might that have been?

"What is it, you don’t want me to take you home?" the doctor finally asked.

"I don’t know you… you could be a serial killer, wanting to rape 17-year old looking guys," Kazunari mumbled, just to realize how stupid this sounded, as he looked into the other’s big round, innocent eyes. He just knew that this was bullshit, of course.

Sho chuckled. "You have a gloomy fantasy. Or maybe your brothers just brought you up well, never trust a stranger, right? But don’t worry, I don’t wish you any harm," he continued and then searched his pocket for something.

A minute later, Kazunari held Sakurai Sho’s business card in both hands, showing the man’s full name, his profession of a private pediatrician, address, and other contact data. It looked trustworthy and…

"Ah…," Kazunari said surprised, reading the address. "Looks like we’re almost neighbors. It’s the same area I live in." If Sho _really_ was a serial killer, maybe he should not have given away such information, the young man thought a second later, wanting to face-palm himself.

"Oh really?" Sho’s eyes went big again. "How is it that we have never met?"

"Eh?"

"Well, then that’s another reason for me to send you home. So, will you trust me now?"

The doctor stood up from the chair he was sitting in during his conversation with Kazunari and reached out his hand to help the young man up, the latter finally gave in as he sighed and got up. He ignored Sho’s hand at first but when he realized how weak his knees felt, he instinctively reached out to get a grip on something. Well, _someone_ in this case since he almost ended up in the doctor’s arms.

Kazunari blushed, as he realized that he was suddenly so close to the other that he could smell his aftershave. It felt strange and comfortable at the same time and that made him very nervous. He had never been that close to any person other than his brothers… and Ai lately, but that didn’t count, the young girl jumped at everyone she seemed to like and it was just impossible to escape her. He immediately tried to straighten up, struggling with his jelly knees, and Sho quickly let his arm slip around Kazunari’s slim waist while he pulled one arm of the young man over his shoulder to stabilize him.

"I’ll help you."

"No need to!" Kazunari wanted to refuse, irritated from the sudden excitement he felt from the man's touch.

"You’ll trip over and hurt yourself if you can't walk properly, so don’t be so stubborn," Sho said while grabbing a bag – most likely his groceries, Kazunari assumed – before they left the room.

Sho owned a really nice luxurious car, Kazunari thought as he climbed onto he passenger’s seat. Not, that he knew much about cars, though, but it was nothing like the old banger his brothers owned. He didn’t like the smell of the leather seats though, it gave him a slight headache and so he asked if he could open the window a bit. Sho told him, that the car was new and thus, the smell was still a bit intense. He tried to fight it with some "magic tree" air freshener hanging on the rearview mirror but when Kazunari eyed the said thing critically, obviously questioning its effectiveness, the doctor reached out and ripped it off quickly.

"I read once on the internet that it should help if you put some coffee beans into a small fabric bag and place it somewhere in the car," Kazunari murmured casually, darting his look outside as Sho finally started the car.

"Is that so? I should give it a try then, thanks for the tip."

Kazunari didn’t answer.

"So… do you surf the internet often?" Sho asked.

His front passenger looked at him frowning. What was that kind of question? Was the other trying to force a conversation on him? Did he look like he was the chatty type? The young half-vampire felt pretty confused but when Sho smiled at him friendlily, he felt like he was under a spell and somehow the words spilled out of him just by themselves.

"I do… why?"

"Do you also like video games?"

"Why are you asking that?!" Kazunari’s irritation grew.

"Oh, I just thought, you look like the indoor type and thought I could guess your hobbies."

"We have a five minutes car drive and you want to do small talk?"

Sho chuckled again. "I’m sorry, I guess that’s also one of my habits. I use to talk to my patients about their hobbies and likings while I do the examinations. To distract them and make them feel less nervous, you see?"

"You’re a strange doctor. And I’m not your patient," Kazunari answered.

"That might be true. I’m sorry for being so curious."

The next thing that left Kazunari’s lips, maybe surprised himself more than it surprised Sho, "...It's OK." 

The young man quickly darted his gaze outside of the window again, they had almost arrived anyway, as it seemed and he even spotted the backs of Masaki, Jun and Ai, obviously returning from their trip to town. He pointed at his house. 

"Here, that’s where I’m living."

"Oh, you’re the Matsumotos' neighbors?"

"You know them?" Kazunari asked surprised.

"Yes, I’m Ai-chan’s doctor. So... the guy with the funny teeth is your brother?"

"Well..."

Sho reduced the car's speed and stopped by the side of the street in front of Kazunari’s house. He got out of the car and rushed around to help the other climb out, even if the young man wanted to refuse any further help. It was embarrassing enough to get driven home – with Masaki and the others now obviously seeing them – and getting touched by that man who put his arm around Kazunari’s waist again as if it was the most natural thing in the world, was even more embarrassing…

"Kazu-kun!" he could hear Ai’s surprised voice behind him. "Sho-chan-sensei!"

" _Sho-chan-sensei_?!" 

Kazunari frowned at this strange nick name. That must be an original creation by Ai, definitely. Ai’s calls were followed by rushed footsteps until Masaki, who had just quickly handed Jun his shopping bags and came running to his brother, looking at him in surprise, almost shocked.

"Kazu, where do _you_ come from?! What happened? Did you go out?! Are you alright? Why are you with Sho-san?" Masaki threw question after question at the younger man and bent down a little, reaching out with his hands to cup his little brother’s face, looking at him, worrying.

"Masaki, stop that, this is embarrassing," Kazunari complained and tried to move his face away, just to accidentally brush it against Sho’s chest. He tried to get rid of both of them, hectically, struggling slightly but his body was still weak and so there wasn’t any escape…

"I happened to be present when he fainted in the supermarket nearby," Sho started to explain.

"Fainted? Again?! Are you OK now?" Masaki asked concerned.

"Don’t worry, I checked on him, he seems to be fine," the doctor said to calm down the other man. "He said something about forgotten pills…"

"Of course... How often did I tell you to take your pills properly, Kazu?" Masaki started lecturing his brother who now felt like a 10 year old boy getting scolded by his mother. "And why did you go outside anyway? That’s really unusual!"

"I had to go buy some batteries for my Wii remote," Kazunari grumbled, giving his excuse.

"So you _do_ like gaming?" Sho asked with a smile but was completely ignored by the others.

"Oh Kazu, why didn’t you call me? I was in town anyway, I could have brought some for you."

"You left your damned cell phone at home, idiot," Kazunari snapped.

"Really?" Masaki frowned, pressing his hands against his jeans’ pockets. "Oh, you’re right… I’m sorry."

But Kazunari had another problem now, one that he seemed to have forgotten so far. "Ah… my batteries… Damned, I forgot…"

"Oh, I bought some," Sho cut in, pointing at his bag that was placed on the back row of his car. "Since you were standing in front of the battery shelf, I thought you’ll need them."

He let Masaki take over Kazunari to help him stand and reached inside his car to grab the bag. After pulling out some batteries from it, he handed them over to Kazunari who took them, feeling a bit irritated.

"Uhm… Thank you," he stumbled and when he wanted to rummage his trousers’ pocket for his wallet, Sho made a gesture to stop the other.

"No need to pay, you can have them," he smiled at the other. "Maybe you can let me join a gaming session once in a while in exchange."

"What?!" the young man looked at the doctor surprised.

"I might not look like someone who’s into games but… sometimes, I’m really in the mood. So call me when you're bored, will you?"

Really?! What a strange guy that doctor was, Kazunari wondered, again giving him a critical, frowning stare that the other just answered with his typical friendly smile. Somehow, Kazunari felt like there was forming a lump in his throat.

"Bye! Don't forget to take your pills!" the doctor waved at them as well as Ai and Jun before he climbed into his car again and left the scene.

“Thanks for everything, Sho-san!” Masaki quickly said and carefully pulled at Kazunari's arm who was standing there slumping against his brother's side, still staring a bit confused at the car as it drove away. "What's that, Kazu, human interaction?" the older brother whispered into his ear with a grin adorning his face. "I'm surprised! And it seems you managed not to scare Sho away completely with your grumpy attitude, I'm proud of you! He was even flirting with you!"

Kazunari blushed. "Flirting?! Are you stupid?! He wasn't _flirting_ , he thought I was 16 years old and took care of me because I don't know... either he felt like I was one of his kids patients or he's a pedophile..."

"Oh come on, Kazu, that's bullshit, he's just nice and he wants to see you again, I guess he just likes you, even if I don't get how you get at him with your bad attitude…," the older teased his brother further.

"Give me a break, Masaki. And if you want to talk about flirting, I think that's more what you and Jun are up to!"

"Eh?" the older brother looked at Kazunari innocently.

"Don't play dumb, Masaki, a blind one can see it. You're not only totally in love with the daughter, you also have your eyes on the father. It’s so obvious," the younger mumbled, rolling his eyes and paying attention that nobody else caught his words.

Masaki blushed deeply and bit his lower lip. "Don't... don't you ever tell him, you hear me?" he then hissed, pulling Kazunari along to the entrance door of their house. "Now come, we're getting you your pills and then I'll go help Jun and Ai with dinner."

"A _family date_ again, huh?" Kazunari joked whispering and Masaki – as if to punish his brother - pulled stronger at his arm, making the other cringe a little.

"Is everything OK?" Jun showed up behind them and looked at the two brothers, worrying.

"Yes yes, don't worry," Masaki answered. "I'm just bringing him inside. Sorry for making you wait with all the bags and stuff."

"No problem. Then Ai and I will go ahead."

Masaki nodded. He then brought his little brother into the living room, helping him onto the couch. He was still shaking slightly and looked paler than usual, obviously exhausted he slumped against the backrest. Quickly, Masaki went to go get Kazunari's pills and a glass of water from the kitchen (taking his cell phone with him which he found next to the sink). He handed his brother everything who gulped it down without arguing.

"You really should take better care of yourself. You could have fainted in the middle of the street or who knows where...," Masaki said as he sat down next to his brother on the couch. "Good thing that Sho was there to take care of you."

"Hm..."

"He's really a nice guy, you know? He's not pedophile or anything! He's good with kids, that's all," the older flashed Kazunari a smile, nudging his side.

"With _kids_ , huh? I'm not a kid anymore," the younger pouted.

"But you behave like one, most of the time," Masaki ruffled through Kazunari's hair teasingly, his hand getting brushed away immediately, followed by a grumpy look of the younger brother.

But then, Kazunari sighed and darted his look at the black TV screen in front of them. "Tell me one thing. Why is everyone around me so nice to me when I am just a grumpy guy who looks like a teenager who just wants to hide from the world and hate everyone?"

Masaki ruffled through his brother’s hair again, this time without getting pushed away. "Because there’s more waiting for you in this world than just your room and your consoles, little brother. You just refuse to see it yet."

"Oh shut up."

"I love you too, Kazu-chan!"

When Masaki had left the house again to join the Matsumotos' dinner, Kazunari stayed sitting on the couch in the living room. He reached into his trousers' pocket, pulling out the small business card of Sho that the other had handed him in the supermarket. Kazunari started to straighten the small piece of paper which had become a little crinkly and glanced at the contact data written on it. Maybe... he should really get in contact with that man again someday.

Maybe.

_**TBC** _


	6. First Kiss

If Kazunari said that he didn't think about the doctor after he met him for the first time, it would be a huge lie. Of course, he would never admit it though. And yet he wouldn't just take his cell phone and call him to invite him for a gaming session, like the other asked of him. That would be odd, wouldn't it? Nevertheless, Kazunari played with the thought and it almost became a habit of the young man to stare at the doctor's business card for at least a few seconds a day. 

He didn't even know why. Maybe because of that strange feeling that they already had met before the encounter in the supermarket? Kazunari tried to remember where and when. Had it been a chance encounter in town, one of the few times when the young man went there with his brothers? However, Kazunari didn't want to let this bug him so much. It wasn't that he was particularly interested in that man or anything. Kazunari was _never_ really particularly interested in anyone after all. He didn't want to know what kind of person he was besides the nice and helpful doctor he seemed to be. He didn't want to talk to him about hobbies or whatever the too curious doctor might like to talk about. He didn't want to find out if the other have been honest as he told Kazunari that he liked games or if it was due to sympathy that he tried to make him feel less "lonely".

Well, maybe Kazunari _wanted_ to know, it would really be a lie to say he wasn't curious why the other had been so friendly and if it really was just an "occupation hazard" or if the other maybe was interested in Kazunari as the person he was. However, he couldn’t imagine that the other was sincere about that interest. And that was, why he didn't want to give in to the although small but growing desire to get in contact with that man. Not yet.

+-+-+

In comparison to Kazunari's inner struggle concerning his interactions with other people, Masaki and Jun seemed to progress pretty well. Since Masaki had more or less admitted to his younger brother that he indeed had a crush on his neighbor, he tried to push his luck harder to get a bit closer to the other. Their "relationship" - which wasn't a real relationship yet, at least nothing more than friends – was still innocent of course and Masaki was still too shy to make a direct move on the other man. After all, he didn't want to scare him away. He didn't want to risk the bond that he had created with Jun and Ai. 

However, Jun's friendly and trusting behavior towards Masaki didn't make it easier for the other, making him wonder if Jun might feel the same way he did. They really enjoyed their time together when they met and they met pretty often. But there were still some things unclear between them, some topics unspoken. Masaki didn’t even know if he even had a chance with the young man. Would he even be interested in a guy? More than that, in a strange guy like him?

Masaki stood in front of his bathroom mirror, flashing a smile to the image of himself, seeing his white canine teeth shining. The smile disappeared immediately though as he started wondering if any normal human being could find that appearance attractive. Also, his hair had grown pretty long again, the young man noticed, seeing the black hair line of his usually brown dyed hair. It looked a bit messy, the long hair in his neck, maybe he should cut it again soon. Sighing, Masaki searched for one of his hair bands he used to tie back his hair when he was doing housework. At least, his hair looked a bit tidier this way.

When the doorbell rang, Masaki jumped nervously. That must be Jun and Ai who he had invited over for dinner and to watch a music show on TV together with his brothers, he thought excitedly. This wasn’t particularly a "date" or anything, so maybe he was a bit too nervous. Nevertheless, he practiced his usual smile once again in the mirror and then rushed downstairs.

However, when Masaki arrived there, Satoshi had already opened the door, letting in Ai, who was handing him some pastries, telling him that those were for snacking in front of the TV later on. Masaki greeted the little girl joyfully and as soon as Satoshi was holding the present safely in his hands, the girl jumped into Masaki’s arms to greet him properly too.

"Where did you leave your Daddy, little princess?" Masaki asked as he whirled her around.

"I’m sorry but Daddy might not make it for dinner, he received an urgent call from Europe and has to change something on an order," Ai started while playing with a few strands of Masaki’s hair that had loosened from his small ponytail in his neck. When she saw the man’s eyes darkening from disappointment, she cupped his face, squeezing his cheeks. "Don’t worry, Maa-chan, he said he’ll try to make it for the show and the snacks! And I will eat his part for the dinner, so no problem!"

"I see, so you’re filling in his space properly? What a thoughtful daughter you are," Masaki grinned and slightly tickled Ai’s side who then giggled cutely, trying to free herself.

"Where is Kazu-kun?" she asked as the two brothers led her into the dining room where the table was already set.

"Want to go and get him? I’m sure he’s still gaming in his room."

Ai nodded and immediately ran away to Kazunari’s room just to drag him to the others a minute later, ignoring his complains completely. Masaki smiled, the little girl had learned quickly how to deal with the youngest brother of the house.

They enjoyed dinner, eating some traditional Japanese Curry which was one of Ai’s all-time favorite meal as well as a delicious salad as side dish. Kazunari glanced at the dishes with the usual disgust, obviously not appreciating anything about it, complaining about the strong smell, the strange color of the curry and whatnot. Ai – again – had tried to feed him, even if she already knew that he would refuse to taste anything.

"Why don’t you ever eat anything?" she asked. "I can’t believe that you are allergic to _everything_ and people do have to eat or they will die!"

"You know," Kazunari propped his chin onto his arm and glared at the little girl with a grumpy look, "I didn’t want to tell you but I only eat 7 year old girls. Too bad that I promised Masaki not to eat _you_."

Ai looked at the other, wondering for a moment but quickly found her composure again and burst out laughing before she reached out her tiny hand to pat Kazunari’s head. "That was a nice joke, Kazu-kun."

The youngest brother rolled his eyes. He was already used to not being taken serious by the small girl and most likely he didn’t look scary enough anyway.

Masaki seriously wondered, if maybe he should explain the situation better to Ai so that she would stop trying to force Kazunari to eat. She didn’t have any bad intentions with her actions, he knew that she just didn’t know about Kazunari’s real problem with food. Though, Masaki had promised Jun not to say anything about vampires ever again to Ai in order not to… what, frighten her? He was sure that this tough little girl would never be scared, especially not of _them_ since they knew each other for weeks now and they had a really good relationship. And nobody in this house would ever harm the little girl or any other human being - that was for sure. Besides, in comparison to Jun, who still didn't know the truth about them, Masaki thought that Ai most likely still believed that they were _real_ vampires, even if he had told her that it wasn’t true when Jun asked him to.

Well, during dinner might not be the real timing to talk to Ai about such a topic anyway and so, Masaki decided on another, seizing the chance for especially this topic since Jun was absent.

"Ne, Ai-chan, what do you think your Daddy prefers as a present, flowers or chocolate?" Masaki asked casually as he gave her second serving of the curry.

"Flowers," Kazunari immediately answered instead of the little girl, dragging the surprised attention of the other three people sitting at the table towards him.

"Wow, Kazu, what’s going on?" Satoshi asked chuckling.

"What?!" the other blushed slightly. "I think everyone would prefer flowers?"

"I didn’t know you have such a romantic streak!" Satoshi grinned, taking another sip from his glass.

"Aw, screw that, Kazu doesn’t _eat_ chocolate, that doesn’t count!" Masaki barged in, waving his hand into his little brother’s direction to discharge his comment.

"Thank you very much for saying that my opinion doesn’t count!" the youngest said, obviously upset.

Masaki immediately tried to change course. "I - I didn’t say that your opinion doesn’t count!"

"You did!" Kazunari countered, pointing at Masaki and then seeking for his other brother’s help. "He did, right Satoshi?"

"You did," the oldest nodded at the middle brother.

"But -"

"I think he’s right," Ai barged in finally, drawing the three guys’ attention to her. "I think, Daddy would love flowers."

"See?" Kazunari crossed his arms, huffily.

"What’s with that sudden question anyway? Is Jun-kun's birthday coming up?" Satoshi asked, giving Masaki a critical look.

"I’m sure he wants to invite him for a proper date, isn’t it?" Kazunari threw in.

"There we get the romantic streak again," Satoshi giggled amused, earning a death glare by his youngest brother.

"I _do_ want to invite him for a date," Masaki admitted out loud before his brothers could continue the argument. He blushed sheepishly while he dropped his gaze onto his still half-filled plate of curry.

"Would you mind telling me what would be the difference between what you two are doing right now?" the oldest brother asked, lifting one of his eye brows jokingly. "Since you’re all lovey-dovey already anyway. Watching both of you dining is like watching an old married couple."

"He wants _us_ not to join their dinner for once, I suppose," Kazunari concluded, not without taking another dig at his brother. "Even if he usually _insists_ on that I join in at dinner despite the fact I never eat anything, he _now_ wants us to stay away, isn’t that ironic?"

Masaki parted his lips, ready to tell his little brother that that wasn’t what he had planned but deep inside he knew that it would be a lie. He indeed wanted to invite Jun for a date. A _real_ date. Yet he didn't know how exactly this date might look like but just once he wanted to meet the other all alone, without his brothers and – even if he loved the little girl to death – also without Ai. To be… undisturbed. Maybe to be able to get closer than where they already were.

"Daddy would be happy, I’m sure!" Ai finally chimed in with a broad smile. "I can visit Kazu-kun to play with him," she ignored the small "Hey!" from her left side coming from the youngest brother. "And you can go out like in those romantic movies on TV! You want to become my new Mommy after all, right? I’m sure, Daddy will marry you if you ask him!"

"Ai-chan…," Masaki looked at her, surprised and touched at the same time.

Then suddenly, they heard a thunk and when they faced left, Ai gaped, Masaki frowned and Satoshi rolled his eyes.

"Not again!" the oldest exclaimed.

Kazunari had passed out, his head fallen forward, hitting the table.

"Kazu-kun," Ai said and dropped her spoon onto her plate, leaning towards the sunken figure’s side, shaking him slightly.

It wasn’t the first time that the young half-vampire passed out in front of the young girl, so she wasn’t too worried about him, at least not as worried and freaked out like she was the first time when it happened. Instead, she lowered her head, trying to see clearer and reached out to poke the young man’s pale face to check if he would react in any way.

Masaki sighed. "How often did I tell him to take his pills properly, I can’t believe he still… ever since he had collapsed outside the last time, I thought he had learned his lesson!"

Ai was now poking Kazunari’s canine teeth which showed slightly between his dry lips as she examined the young man closer. "Ne, Maa-chan, why is it that Kazu-kun’s teeth aren’t as cool as yours?"

Masaki chuckled, deciding to take it as a compliment and smiled at her, saying that he was something special, just like every person was in their own way.

Satoshi had stood up and approached Kazunari, searching the pockets of his younger brother’s trousers for the small pill box that the other was advised to carry with him. _Advised_ to, but as so often didn’t carry with him. The oldest brother hurried to Kazunari’s room to search for the pills and Masaki went to the kitchen to get a glass of water for his brother before he sat down next to him. He pulled Kazunari back up into a sitting position, shaking him but the other didn’t react. Only when Masaki slapped his brother’s cheek slightly, the other cringed and woke up, looking at the other with dizzy eyes. Satoshi had returned and grabbed the glass of water Masaki had prepared, to force the pills down Kazunari’s throat with the water. The youngest brother choked on the liquid, struggled a bit and almost spurted out everything again but Satoshi just mercilessly pressed his hand on Kazunari’s lips and waited until the other gulped down everything.

Kazunari gasped for air and coughed a few times. He pushed away his brothers while catching his breath before he yelled at them. "Are you crazy?! You could have killed me! Ew…"

His brothers just ignored his comment and Satoshi sat back onto his seat, reaching for his glass and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

"It’s your own fault," Masaki stated, getting back to his place and patting Ai’s shoulder. "Don’t worry, Ai-chan, Kazu feels much better now."

"Yeah, _much_ better, thank you very much," the younger spit out sarcastically. "You two are too brutal, seriously!"

"Oh, I’m sorry that I’m not as gentle as Sho-san was," Masaki noted casually. "Should I call him for you? Do you miss him so badly already?"

"Sho-san?" Satoshi asked interested, hearing a new name.

"Ah, you don’t know him yet, right? He’s Ai-chan’s doctor and he’s the one who found Kazu when he collapsed in the supermarket the other day, I told you about that, right?" Masaki answered and Ohno nodded understanding. "He was really nice to Kazu, brought him home and even gave him his number to call him for company when he’s bored but Kazu is just too shy to contact him."

"I’m _not_ -," the youngest brother blushed and stood up to slam his hands on the table but when he felt dizzy again, he just let his knees give in and sank back onto his seat.

"Not what? Not interested in calling him? I don’t believe you, I saw you staring at his business card. You’re just not brave enough to call him, right?" Masaki teased him.

"This is none of your business!" Kazunari spit and pursed his lips.

Ai looked at him with big eyes. "Do you like Sho-chan-sensei?" she then asked carefully. "Do you like him more than me? Well, he's an angel after all, everybody likes him."

"What are you talking about, and who said that I like _anybody_ here?! Leave me alone," Kazunari grumped, crossed his arms in front of his chest and just stared at the table, sulking.

"Don’t take it personal, Ai-chan," Masaki tried to cheer the little girl up. "He’s just in a bad mood." He darted a look at his younger brother, throwing a "Because he’s a coward" at him. "And you're right. Sho-san is such a great doctor, he's like an angel, isn't he?"

Kazunari decided to ignore his brother and finally, Satoshi piped up again. "Alright, calm down now guys, we shouldn’t fight that much in front of our young lady! Ai-chan, tell us more about your Daddy liking our Maa-chan here, will you?"

"No, no, let’s stop talking about that, it’s embarrassing!" Masaki countered as he started to collect the empty dishes to bring them into the kitchen. "Why don’t you join Kazu and play with the Wii until the show starts later on?" he suggested to Ai and the young girl immediately turned to Kazunari, grabbing his shirt.

"Can we play together? Please?" she asked and when the other man sighed deeply, stood up and just looked at her, she jumped from her chair and followed the still grumpy young man into his room.

"The TV program starts at 8, don’t forget it!" Masaki shouted after them, earning a happy "Roger" from Ai.

When he entered the kitchen again, and started to clean the dishes, Satoshi joined him, leaning against the kitchen counter leisurely while observing his brother. The other faced him with a questioning look.

"So you and Jun-kun?" the older then finally asked. "Sounds like this is slowly but surely turning into something serious."

Masaki sheepishly bit his lower lip, trying to focus onto the dishes which were already drowning under too much foam. "I don’t know… I think we haven’t even _started_ anything yet. And be honest… do you even think, it’s possible? Don’t you think it’s strange? I always wanted to find someone special but facing our reality, I thought it wouldn’t be possible and almost gave up and then… he and Ai-chan show up here and all my hopes are coming back…"

"You like them, don’t you, Masaki? You treat Ai-chan like she is your own child and you really like Jun-kun. It’s obvious. I would say, go for it! Tell him you like him and try and see how far you can get. He seems to like you too so I think you have nothing to lose," Satoshi patted his brother’s shoulder to encourage him. 

"And what about the whole… you know, vampire stuff? Should I tell him? What if he freaks out?"

"Well… you might have to try, right? You can just see how things work and decide later on if and when you will tell him everything. And if it doesn’t work at all, I can still manipulate his memory."

Masaki whirled around and faced his brother with a serious look. "No! No, I don’t want you to manipulate him. It would be unfair. And… unreal. I will try to handle it on my own."

Satoshi nodded understanding. That was exactly what he expected from his brother. He patted his shoulder again and flashed a loving smile at Masaki. "I’m rooting for you."

+-+-+

Unfortunately, Jun didn’t even make it for the TV show that they wanted to watch together. He set a short call to Masaki’s cell phone and told him that his work would take some more hours to get finished. Nonetheless, Jun asked if Ai could stay and watch the show together with the brothers anyway and Masaki of course agreed. Shortly after, the three men were sitting on the couch, Ai had dragged Kazunari with her and placed herself between him and Masaki to cuddle. After about two thirds of the show, she fell asleep, her head resting against Kazunari’s arm and one of her small hands clenching Masaki’s.

"I guess, I should bring her home," Masaki smiled and brushed his hand over her hair before he stood up and lifted her to carry her piggy back style.

Kazunari hummed in agreement and even followed them into the entrance area, helping his brother to dress the little girl in her coat and shoes.

-+-+-

"She’s sleeping safe and sound in her bed," the young man smiled at his friend as he silently entered Jun’s work room.

"Thank you so much, you’ve been a great help. I wanted to come over pick her up but I’m still not finished here," Jun smiled at the other. "That client was really stressing me out. He decided on a lot of changes and at the last minute so to say, I have to finish this tonight or I won’t be able to ship it out tomorrow."

"No problem, really. I love taking care of your cute little angel. Do you mind if I take a look at your work? I promise, I won’t hinder you."

"Ah, of course, if you're interested...," he gestured for Masaki to take a seat next to him and when the other curiously stretched his neck to get a better look at what Jun was doing, he shifted a little so that the other could see better the fabric that he was working on currently. "This is supposed to become a ball dress for some rich little teenager who wants to wear it to some kind of Christmas ball or something like that," Jun explained and quickly reached for a piece of paper, and showed it to his friend. "This is my sketch and as you can see, there were quite a lot of changes since the first draft."

"Looks really complicated," Masaki admitted, taking a closer look at the sketch. "I really admire you, I would never be able to create something like that..."

"Have you ever tried it?" Jun asked.

"Creating clothes? I did... I knitted scarves and gloves for Kazunari when he was younger but he never went out and so he never used them. Maybe he was just ashamed of them, I don't think that I'm very talented with things like that," the other man answered, flashing a smile to Jun who then leaned over his work again to continue it.

"I would like to see something that you made. As far as I know you, I'm sure even if it is not perfect, it's filled with love."

Masaki's heart skipped a beat as he heard his friend talking about him like that but remained silent, continuing to watch Jun as he worked for a while. He observed his concentrated and passionate look as he worked on the details of the dress, his slender fingers pushing and pulling the fabric slightly into the right place and like so often, Masaki couldn't but realize how beautiful the young man was and how much he was attracted by him.

"Satoshi told me that you asked him… if I’m dating someone," Masaki finally spilled out and Jun seemed to freeze in his action.

"He told you?" slowly, he resumed working on the dress.

"Yes. And he told me that he told you that I am _not_ dating someone right now."

"Is it true?" Jun asked.

"It is...," the other nodded. "That means, if you do not count what _we_ are doing as dating...,"  
he pointed between himself and Jun.

"Are we dating each other?" Jun asked seriously, turning towards his friend and looking at him straightforwardly. Masaki was glad that he wasn't laughing and making fun of him.

"I don't know... would you like that?" Masaki answered with another question, his heart pounding like crazy.

Jun averted his look, his cheeks turning a light shade of red. "I think, I'd like that. How about you?"

Masaki smiled as his heart bloomed from the other man's reaction. "Me too."

“Masaki-kun… may I ask you a question? It might sound a bit stupid and sudden though," Jun suddenly asked, out of the blue, putting down his work for a moment and if Masaki wasn't getting fooled by the light, he saw the other blushing even deeper than before.

"What is it, Jun-kun?"

"I just wondered, how... how do you _kiss_ with those teeth?"

Masaki chuckled. What’s with that question? Where was it coming from, what did Jun imply with it? Maybe... was this his chance? The young man gulped, pulled himself together and reached out his hand until his fingers slightly brushed the back of Jun's hand who was still clenching the needle with the sewing thread. Then, the young man leaned a bit closer, lifting his other hand to Jun's face, slightly brushing his cheek.

"You want to find out?" he asked as he looked Jun deeply into the eye.

He didn't even need to wait for an answer because just a second later, the other reached out, slightly pulling on Masaki's shirt to pull the other closer. Jun closed his eyes and soon, Masaki felt the young man's warm, soft lips brushing against his own.

Actually, kissing didn’t turn out as a problem for Masaki and Jun at all. To the contrary. The fact of Masaki’s long teeth made them more careful and tender than they might have been under normal circumstances and with that, it turned into the sweetest kiss Jun had ever shared.

However, since Jun was still busy trying to finish his work, this first kiss remained to be the only one that night and in order not to distract his new boyfriend too much, Masaki decided to leave after he made a fresh cup of coffee for Jun to keep him awake for him to finish his work. Not that Jun would have needed that coffee since he was fully awake thanks to the rush of adrenaline that he felt during their kiss.

When Masaki returned, Satoshi – and surprisingly also Kazunari - were still watching TV. The two turned to face the other as he joined them, trying to hide his excitement. Of course he couldn’t hide it at all, he must be grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Something good happened?" Satoshi asked while Kazunari was just eying his brother suspiciously out of the corner of his eye.

Masaki grinned and blushed like a fool, nodding.

Satoshi smirked satisfied. "I knew it."

"I guess, you saw it coming? In one of your dreams maybe?"

"You could say so. I’m glad it really turned out this way," the other answered. "By the way… I wanted to warn you. Both of you," he turned to Kazunari too who gave him a questioning look. "I saw something else in my dreams. It’s possible that things from now on will get a bit dangerous. I’m not sure yet what exactly is in the bush but most likely, we’ll get some unpleasant visitors soon."

"Plural?" Kazunari wondered.

"Felt like more than one, yeah, I didn't see the exact number though," his brother answered.

"Do you know who it is?" Masaki asked.

The oldest shook his head. "I don't think we know them yet. They are not part of our former clan and I think I never heard of them... Maybe I just have too less hints for now. I can try to find out a bit more through my connections in the art scene but no guarantee. However, we should be prepared."

_**TBC** _


	7. Home Visit

The thing with Satoshi’s "dreams" was that they often showed parts of a "potential future" about him and people close to him.

Usually, vampires didn’t dream because they simply didn’t really sleep but fell in a so-called rigor mortis, without dreams being able to reach their minds. It was a bit different for Satoshi and the other two half-vampires. They _could_ sleep, even if there was no actual need for it but in contrast to Satoshi, who enjoyed napping from time to time, Masaki used the time during the night for going to work and Kazunari for doing whatever he was doing in his room. As they had learned quite early, for Satoshi and his brothers, the usual things about vampires didn't really apply anyway. They didn't know where exactly Satoshi's power came from, maybe he had inherited it from his mother or it was just some miraculous power only a half-vampire could carry. They might probably never find out but Satoshi always tried to make the best out of his abilities, and tried to encourage his brothers, to find their own special powers too, which they just had not found yet.

Satoshi’s dreams were vivid and colorful. Most of the time they inspired him to create impressive paintings, showing fantasies and realities like no one else could see them. And as mentioned, sometimes, he dreamed about thing that could happen in the future. He had realized this in his early teenage years, when the brothers were still living with their clan. He had foreseen the wedding of relatives, he had foreseen their father’s departure as well as the clan chasing the siblings away once Satoshi reached the legal age. He had made use of this knowledge and taken the chance to prepare for what would happen. Things had become easier like this with various situations.

The half-vampire also had experienced sometimes the future that could change due to specific changes in the present. When he dreamed about something, it was just a glimpse about how things would work out if things were kept the way they were. With changing the circumstances, the possibilities for the future would change too.

It wasn’t the case that Satoshi himself was interested in influencing the future in general since he was of the opinion that things might have their reasons for why they happened the way they did. Usually, he kept to himself what he saw in his dreams, especially when it was something good, because he didn’t want to risk something changing those good happenings unintentionally and turning them into something unpleasant. With that, he was more or less just an observer of the possibilities and their outcomes, but nevertheless, sometimes he might drop a small hint or give a little push in the right direction. Just like what he did by encouraging Masaki to try his luck with Jun. If he saw bad things, he would be able to warn the others, try changing what might happen, or at least be prepared. For example, he had foreseen that Kazunari would try to kill himself during his most critical phase a few years ago and he and Masaki was able to prevent their little brother from doing so.

Most of the time, his dreams were not more than mere hints of what might happen, sometimes they were mixed with other dreams and it was hard to read them. The dreams could contain faces he knew, sometimes it was like he was eavesdropping to a conversation that might take place in this or a similar form in the future. This time he had seen unknown people invading his dreams, which was kind of unusual and could only mean that those people could mean danger to his family and probably also to Jun and Ai, so he wanted Masaki to watch over them a bit more than he would do anyway.

This wasn’t a problem at all, considering how Jun and Masaki were now really meeting on a daily basis. So much that Satoshi and Kazunari sometimes wondered, if the other brother was still living with them or had already moved in with their neighbors.

Right now, Masaki was visiting the others because Ai seemed to have fallen sick again. Considering her young age and the cold weather, maybe it wasn’t so surprising. Satoshi had already learned that the small girl seemed to have a tendency to pick up colds and fevers quickly and it reminded him of Kazunari’s weak physical condition when he was younger.

Satoshi and Kazunari were in the kitchen, doing the dishes. Satoshi had forced his little brother to help him, which the other did, but not without complaining; and so the younger stood there, bored with a dish towel in his left hand while he held out the other hand to receive the wet dishes that Satoshi had used for the meal that Masaki had prepared and left behind for him. Kazunari had just finished drying a pair of chopsticks, when suddenly the doorbell rang.

"Kazu, could you go open the door, please?" Satoshi asked him, as the younger didn’t show any sign of movement.

"Why don’t _you_ go, I never open the door," the younger grumped.

"My hands are wet, so please."

Kazunari pouted. When the doorbell rang the second time, Satoshi nodded his head to send him away and so finally the younger brother gave up and headed toward the entrance door, leaving his towel behind. He strolled along, not really rushing and when the bell rang the third time, he just mumbled something undecipherable. Then, as he opened the door, catching the visitor just before he could press the bell button _again_ , Kazunari froze at the fact that he actually _knew_ the person standing in front of his door.

"Kazunari-kun! So you’re home, I already thought you weren’t here," Sho, the pediatrician said, flashing him a charming smile.

Once he had found back his composure, just after realizing _how much_ he had actually been craving to meet this man again, Kazunari answered a bit snippily, "I thought you already exposed me as the "indoor type", of course, I’m home."

"I've been waiting for a chance to meet you again after so long," the young doctor murmured with a sincere smile, making the younger frown.

"Uhm it's not _that_ long since we met, only a few days…"

"Ah, you might be right, I'm sorry. You know, actually I feared you wouldn’t open the door if I came over."

"I was forced to," the young man was still trying his best to hide his excitement about the sudden visit.

Sho looked at him a bit puzzled but when he saw someone else poking his head around the corner behind Kazunari, things seemed to make a bit more sense.

"So?" the younger asked, arching an eyebrow, to finally find out what the other was actually doing here.

"Ah yeah, I was nearby - Ai-chan has caught a fever again, you know - and I thought, I might take the chance and pay you a visit," Sho said in an almost proud tone, obviously expecting some kind of reaction from the other. A reaction that he didn’t get.

As if to save the situation, the other man behind Kazunari approached the two men, smiling at Sho and putting a hand that he just had wiped with a dish towel onto the other’s shoulder. "Kazu, shouldn’t you ask your guest to come in?" He then bowed slightly towards their visitor. "I’m really sorry for his bad manners. I’m Ohno Satoshi, Kazu’s oldest half-brother, nice to meet you…," he looked at the other man, questioning.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Sakurai Sho. I’m Ai-chan’s doctor and I happened to get to know Kazunari-kun just recently when he collapsed at the supermarket," the taller man mirrored the bow and looked at the others. "I offered him to accompany him if he needs someone to play his games with, but seems like he didn’t need a companion, since he didn’t call me. I just wanted to check if he’s doing fine."

"Oh, you’re that doctor?" Satoshi remembered Masaki’s report about Kazunari’s blackout and that a nice doctor had taken care of him. "How nice of you to come check on my brother, right, Kazu?" the older poked his brother on his side, who cringed slightly. "Don’t you want to say something?"

"Thank you very much for your concern," Kazunari bowed slightly, averting Sho’s slightly amused gaze. "I’m perfectly fine as you can see. You can leave now."

"What?! No no no, how impolite is that, Kazu? Please, Sakurai-san, come in and have a cup of tea with us."

"That’s too nice, thank you very much."

Despite the protest written in Kazunari’s eyes, Satoshi smiled at him, patting his shoulders and asked him to put on some hot water for the tea as he himself guided Sho into the living room, again apologizing for his little brother’s impolite behavior but Sho just let out a charming chuckle and waved it off. A minute later, Satoshi joined Kazunari in the kitchen again, quickly putting out some tea cups from the cupboard and filling one of them – the one for his little brother – with water.

"Why are you so grumpy? He’s nice and a little social contact doesn’t hurt, Kazu," the older brother said, nudging his brother again, who was silent. "What’s troubling you? You really want him to leave?"

"I – no… but I'm nervous and I don’t know what to talk about with him," Kazunari finally admitted, looking a bit insecure in his brother’s direction. "I’m not good with people, you know me."

Satoshi patted his shoulder and gave his brother a confident "leave it to me" look before fishing for some snacks that they could offer together with the tea. In the meantime, Kazunari poured the hot drink into the other two cups and picked up the tray. He served the cups, still averting Sho’s look – it made him just too nervous somehow – and seeing that Satoshi had already occupied the big arm chair, he had no choice but to settle down right next to their guest on the couch. Too close… Kazunari tried though, to get as much space between him and the doctor as possible.

Sho smiled, obviously amused by the young man’s behavior. "No need to be so shy, Kazunari-kun, I don’t bite," the doctor joked and Kazunari blushed a little and ignored the urge to say something like _but I could bite you, theoretically_... 

Of course, the younger didn’t pick up the conversation, instead he picked up his cup of water, taking a sip and darted a lost look at Satoshi. What was this "leave it to me" – thing? The older grinned and leaned a bit forward to push the small plate with sweets into the doctor’s direction, offering him to take some which the other gladly accepted.

"You said you just visited Ai-chan? How is she doing?" the older brother asked concerned.

"I think there’s no need to worry, it’s a slight fever and a cough but I gave her some medicine for it and with the loving care of Jun-kun and Masaki-kun, I’m pretty sure, she will recover quickly," Sho explained.

"That’s great, right, Kazu?" Satoshi asked, trying to get his little brother involved but the younger just hummed and took another sip of water.

He gave up pretty quickly and in order not to make their guest feeling uncomfortable, Satoshi started a bit small talk about Sho and his job, about living in this neighborhood and whatever came to mind. Kazunari listened closely and eyeing Sho out of the corner of his eye, obviously interested in everything the young doctor said, even if his brother knew that the younger would rather die than admit it. Somehow, it was cute. Usually, Kazunari didn’t show interest in anything else than his games and stuff. Well, lately, there was also Ai and the younger couldn’t deny that he cared about her too but so far, the young girl had been a huge exception.

Time went by and after a while, Kazunari finally cleared his throat, ready to say something. Satoshi looked at him curiously but when he just asked Sho if he didn’t have any other patients to visit today, the older brother had a hard time not to face palm himself. He wasn’t even sure if Kazunari wanted to make Sho leave with this comment or if he just didn’t know anything else to ask. Fortunately, Sho didn’t let himself get confused over the statement.

"It’s my day off today," he answered with a wide smile. "I’m reachable via phone for emergencies but seems that I’m lucky and no other young patient needs me today."

"Oh, I see. Well, that’s good," Kazunari answered.

The conversation was about to die again and so Satoshi quickly threw out a rescue ring to his little brother.

"Ah, Sakurai-san, didn’t you say you wanted to play some games with my brother? Kazu, what about you go and get the Wii? That is if you still have some time left to play with him, Sakurai-san," Satoshi suggested smiling, amused about Kazunari’s shocked expression.

"Sure, I don’t have any plans today," the young doctor – not married and not in any kind of relationship currently, as Satoshi had found out, by the way – answered.

Kazunari jumped up and on the way to his room, he grabbed Satoshi’s shirt to pull the other with him who quickly excused himself and his brother, saying he would help carrying the cables. As soon as Kazunari had dragged him through the corridor and pushed into his room, Satoshi lifted his hands in defense, and he shot a wondering look at his brother.

"Are you mad?" he asked but immediately, the angry look on Kazunari’s face got replaced by some kind of despair.

"Don’t you dare leave me alone with him, please!"

Satoshi had a hard time not to burst out laughing. His little brother was too adorable right now. "What’s your problem? You said yourself you don’t want him to leave. So, spend some time together."

"Play with us!" Kazunari begged his brother, pulling on the edge of his shirt’s sleeve.

"Come on, Kazu, are you nervous being all alone on your gaming date?"

The younger blushed. See? Adorable. "This isn’t a _date_!" he almost freaked out.

Satoshi ruffled through his brother’s hair. "Alright, alright, calm down. Get the third controller, I’m joining you."

"Thanks, Sato-nii," the younger said obviously relieved and Satoshi smirked at the cuteness of his little brother, while the other looked through his game collection thoughtfully. "What should we play?"

"Hm… I don’t know, Mario Kart maybe? It’s fun!"

Even if Kazunari had been skeptical if it was a good idea to choose a – well, at least he had assumed that Sho would think that – childish game, it indeed _was_ fun, he had to admit. Though the most fun was to hear Sho’s open-hearted, sincere laughter, as the young doctor was obviously amused about his own, really high failing rate throughout the game. The doctor wasn’t ashamed at all about his defeats but he couldn’t get enough of challenging the brothers, demanding revenge again and again. Kazunari seemed to have been a bit overwhelmed by the doctor’s loud reactions at first but it seemed that he had adjusted to it soon and Satoshi already spotted something that he hadn’t seen often on Kazunari’s face – a sincere smile.

After a while, the older brother thought that it was OK to leave Kazunari and his guest playing alone. He had to get ready for going out anyway and so he excused himself while Sho and his brother started the nth round of Mario Kart, Kazunari was even suggesting some secret tips to his guest. Soon after, Satoshi just happened to be in the entrance area to pick up his shoes, as the door swung open and his younger brother came home. When Masaki heard the sounds of the gaming console as well as an amused loud laughter from the living room, he frowned in surprise.

"Going out, Satoshi?"

The older brother nodded. "I’m going to watch a movie with Yui-chan."

"Nice, nice," Masaki grinned, patting his older brother’s shoulder whose cheeks showed a hint of a blush. "And wow, what’s going on in there? It’s so lively!" Masaki wondered, pointing to the living room.

"Kazu has a guest," Satoshi said, wiggling his eyebrows amused.

Another laughter could be heard and this time, Masaki seemed to recognize the voice. His eyes widened in excitement. "Don’t tell me, it’s Sho? You know, Ai-chan’s doctor, I mean."

"In flesh and blood."

"No way, does this mean I was right with my assumption that he might be interested in Kazu?" Masaki whispered amused behind his hand.

Satoshi smiled and slightly shrugged his shoulders before he snatched his jacket and opened the front door again. "I have no idea. He's a little strange if you ask me, but I think he's a good man. Maybe you should keep an eye on them, just in case. I’m off then, don’t wait for me for dinner."

"Alright! Have fun! And greetings to Yui-chan! I can’t wait to get to know her!"

Another blush appeared on Satoshi’s face, a consequence to the younger’s mocking. "Who said that I would introduce her to you guys?"

"I’m sure, sooner or later you will," Masaki smiled.

"Shut up. See you later."

+-+-+

"Are you leaving already?" the young woman asked, turning to watch her lover getting dressed. She lifted her upper body, supporting it with her elbows, one hand keeping the loose white bed sheet in place, covering her naked skin.

The man turned toward the woman, sat down onto the mattress and reached out his hand to brush her cheeks lovingly. "No, Honey, I’m just going to get a snack from the vending machine, do you want me to bring something for you too?"

"A can of white tea would be nice," she smiled at him and giggled when the long fingers of her lover ran down her neck, gently touching two small red marks.

He bent down and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear before he kissing her cheek, her ear and the marks on her neck as if it was an apology. "Your wish is my command. Stay undressed, beauty, I’m back in five minutes," the man whispered, earning another cute giggle.

"You’re a pervert, you know that?"

"I’m not, I just can’t get enough of you."

"Hurry and come back quickly," she whispered and he pecked her lips before he got up again and left the room.

It was pitch black outside and the cold wind hit Satoshi’s face as soon as he set foot onto the side walk, going a few steps until he reached the vending machine in the small parking lot near the apartment complex. He reached into his pocket to get out a few coins, pushed them into the slot and dialed the numbers of the products he wished to get, a can of white tea and a package of salted nuts. In reality, this was just an excuse to get outside. He bent down to fetch the bought items but didn’t leave immediately. He darted his look into the metal placket on the machine in front of him. The dim light of a street lantern allowed him to spot the silhouettes of his own reflection.

"Who are you and why are you following us around?" Satoshi asked without turning around. No one else but himself could be seen in the reflection on the metal but he _knew_ that there was somebody. Somebody that he had felt hanging around since he and Yui were in the cinema. "Are you after her? Or are you after me?"

No answer. Of course not. But Satoshi couldn’t be fooled. He bent down again, placing the can of tea and the nuts onto the ground to pick them up again later and then he turned around so fast, that human’s eyes wouldn’t be able to catch the movement.

A second later, he was pinning a strange figure, dressed in a black coat, a hoodie pulled into his face to hide half of his face, against the wall of bricks at the opposite end of the parking lot. His arm across the stranger’s chest, he increased the pressure and reached out his other hand to push back the hoodie but his opponent was fast too and before Satoshi could touch the dark fabric, the creature slid down in a soft movement, freeing himself from the other's grip and escaped without making the lightest sound.

Satoshi turned around, his eyes darting from one side to another but it was too late. The young man stood there for another few minutes, looking around carefully, noticing every little movement – but it was just a mouse – or the smallest noise – the rustling of the wind in the bald trees. Whoever that intruder might have been, he was gone. Satoshi couldn't feel his presence any longer. He cursed before he picked up his snack and the drink for his girlfriend and went back inside.

TBC


	8. First Attack

The next day, as soon as Satoshi came back, he called for an emergency meeting. Kazunari complained at first about his brother pulling him away from his gaming session in his room. But when he saw the serious look on Satoshi’s face, he didn’t say anything any longer. Masaki put away his apron as he had been wearing while baking some muffins for Ai and Jun and together the three brothers sat in the living room.

"Yesterday night I had a strange encounter. Someone followed me and Yui-chan around. First, I thought it’s a coincidence or that I’m paranoid because I had this dream but he even followed us to her apartment and so I tried to face him properly. That guy was fast, so I couldn’t ask him anything but I’m pretty sure, it’s one of _them_ ," Satoshi started, his fingers intertwined on his lap.

"So it’s really vampires?" Masaki asked and when Satoshi nodded, he frowned. "What do they want in this area? This is just a suburb, they can’t be here just for a hunt, if people die here it would get publicized immediately, that’s too risky. It doesn’t sound like a vampire’s strategy."

"I wonder, why he was following you?" Kazunari asked confused.

"That’s the question. I’m not even sure if he was following me or Yui, so his motive is still unclear to me. However, I want you two to be careful, promise!"

The two other brothers nodded and Satoshi told them that he planned to keep an eye open during his nights out while Masaki and Kazunari should take extra care of the Matsumotos, at least keeping an eye on them and their house during the nights.

"I might spend some nights at Yui-chan’s place for now. Just in case the stranger shows up again, I don’t want her to be alone," Satoshi announced casually, turning his head before the others could notice the blush on his face. But it was pointless in hiding it.

"Is that everything to it?" Masaki asked his brother teasingly.

The other gave him a quick look, a happy cute smile adorning his face. "Alright, you caught me,” Satoshi couldn't keep it for himself any longer. “I asked Yui-chan to be my girlfriend. Officially."

"Finally!" Masaki exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands. "I’m so happy for you, congratulations!"

Kazunari hummed agreeing and nodded.

"Thank you guys," their older brother blushed sheepishly. "I’m a little nervous. It’s been a long time since I really _dated_ somebody sincerely and so…"

"She’s really a beauty," Masaki smiled. "If she’s as nice as she looks, I’m sure, everything will go well."

"Yeah, I hope so… wait, how do you know what she looks like?" Satoshi frowned surprised. "You haven’t met her yet, have you?"

Masaki lifted his hand, scratching the back of his head. "Oh… uhm… I found a picture of a beautiful woman lying on your bedside table when I was collecting clothes for the laundry the other day. I assumed it’s her? Shoulder length dark brown hair, big eyes, charming smile? Sorry, I didn’t intend to spy around."

"Well, yeah, that’s her," the oldest brother admitted sheepishly.

"A real beauty."

"There’s just one problem," Satoshi then said, looking at Masaki earnestly.

"Problem? What is it?" the other wondered.

"You see, she asked me not to meet other women if I want her to be my girlfriend."

"Obviously," Kazunari stated, nodding his head. "What did you expect?"

"You don’t intend to cheat on her, do you?" Masaki asked shocked.

Satoshi lifted his hands in defense and shook his head. "What?! No, of course not! It’s just, if I don’t meet other women, we have less blood. Yui-chan knows about us and she agreed on giving me some of her blood regularly but I can’t afford to take as much from her so that you can live from it too, Maa-chan."

"Oh, that’s what you mean," the middle brother nodded understanding. "Well, that’s the smallest problem. I’ll just switch to blood conserves then."

"Really?"

"Of course, that’s no problem!" Masaki smiled sincerely. "Don’t worry about me, I’ll find a way."

"You should ask Jun if you can have _his_ blood. Just do it like Sato-nii, suck it from your lover – problem solved and I bet it gives your relationship some kind of extra kick too," Kazunari suggested bluntly.

"No way!" Masaki protested. "He still doesn’t know about our true identity and I don’t intend to tell him that soon."

"Why not?"

"He… it’s complicated, it would be a problem. He would see us as danger for Ai-chan," the young man explained.

"Ai-chan _knows_ about us, I’m pretty sure and it doesn’t seem to bug her, how should this become a problem?" Satoshi chuckled.

"And seriously, how _dangerous_ are we, anyway?" the youngest brother added.

"Fathers are really careful if it comes to their daughters and I’m pretty sure that Jun would not be amused if he finds out that his daughter regularly plays with vampires!"

" _Half_ -vampires. Harmless ones," Kazunari emphasized again.

"Anyway, it’s not the right timing now."

"You’re a coward," the youngest spit.

"Better a coward than losing them," Masaki shot back. “And you're a coward too, you don't even have the courage to call Sho-san!”

Kazunari gapes at his brother, but his oldest brother is faster to take control over the conversation.

"Maybe you should trust Jun more," Satoshi suggested, turned to Masaki. "In the long run, it’s definitely better if your boyfriend knows something this important about you."

Masaki looked at him, a bit troubled. "I know, I just need a little more time, OK?"

Satoshi shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it’s your relationship. Do what you think is right."

"Thanks. So… back to Yui-chan. When will you introduce her to us?"

Masaki earned a pretty hurtful smack on his head by Satoshi and a malicious laughter by Kazunari before his older brother left the room.

+++++

A few days later, nothing mentionable seemed to have happened and so the three brothers almost hoped that the stranger left the town already. They didn’t hear about any victims to mysterious deaths, neither Satoshi nor Masaki had been followed by an unknown person and everything was calm. Satoshi still told his brothers to be careful though, he didn’t dream about the strangers again but that didn’t mean anything. Also, if vampires was well prepared, they could live a few nights without sucking human blood or switch to animal blood for a while as a substitute, enduring it until the desire overwhelmed them again. So far, everything was still possible, so it was better to be prepared.

One afternoon when Kazunari came into the kitchen as he wanted to ask his brother for some advice, honestly he wasn’t that surprised to not find Masaki there. Instead, he ran into his older brother who was forced to take care of his lunch by himself again. 

"Where’s Maa-chan?" Kazunari asked as he leaned in the door frame, watching Satoshi taking food out of the fridge.

"Having a family date with Jun and Ai, I suppose."

"Ah yeah, stupid question…," the younger sighed.

"Are you feeling lonely again?" of course, Satoshi couldn’t miss his chance to tease his brother.

"Uhm, no?"

"You should finally call your cute doctor. What's his name again? Shu?" the other continued with a smirk on his lips. He snatched a package of toast bread, took out four slices and started to put some salad, cheese and ham onto them.

"His name is Sho," Kazunari explained, frowning slightly disgusted at the look of the food. "…And he’s not cute," he added quickly.

"You're sure?" Satoshi smirked. "Well, guys are not exactly my thing so I might not be the one to judge but when he played games with you, you stared at him the whole time, so I thought _you_ might find him cute."

"I - I have no idea, just leave me alone!" the younger brother snapped, blushing, and crossed his arms. Satoshi didn’t dig any further, continuing to prepare his sandwich for lunch while Kazunari stepped closer to the window and threw a critical look at the clouds, hanging low outside. "Ne, Satoshi, do you think the weather will stay as cloudy as it is now?"

"Hm, I think it’ll start to rain sooner or later," the older answered after checking outside quickly.

"OK…," Kazunari seemed to think for a moment, shifting from one foot to another. "I think, I’m going out for a while."

"You’re _what_?!" Satoshi almost dropped his knife in surprise, staring at his little brother.

"I’m going out for a while. Need to… buy something," he tried to sound casual but obviously failed. "Do you need something too?" he added, trying to make it sound more credible.

"What’s gotten into you?" Satoshi chuckled surprised before realization lightened his eyes. "Oh, wait, don’t tell me, you’re going to meet the doctor!"

"Shut up, I’m not! Anyway, I’m reachable via cell phone if something comes up."

"Uhm… OK. Did you take your pills properly?" Satoshi asked, giving his brother a worrying look.

"I did," Kazunari rolled his eyes.

"Do you have some with you just in case-"

"Yes, I do have some with me. If you don't mind, I’ll take my leave now."

"Don’t overdo it and take care, will you?" the older brother threw another critical look at Kazunari. "And come back home before night falls, if that stranger is still around, he won’t be a problem during the day but he’ll surely come out at night and if you’re still on the road-"

"Yes, Daddy, can you please stop this now? You’re almost as annoying as Mommy Masaki!"

"Oh, I need to tell him that you leave the house out of your own free will – for the second time in just a few days!" Satoshi said enthusiastically. "He won’t believe it…"

"Stop making fun of me!" the younger pouted angrily and turned heel to leave the kitchen. He could hear his brother wishing him a nice walk and telling him - again - that he should take care when he reached to his coat hanging at the wardrobe and put it on.

-+-+-

"Ai, Konomi-chan! Take care that you don’t get hurt and don’t run too far, you hear me? I want to be able to see you from that bench over there!" Jun shouted after the girls as they ran over to the playground, acting as Sailor Soldiers and laughing out loud.

"Yes!" Ai called back, waving at him and Masaki who were carrying a few bags of groceries.

"Put on your gloves, Ai, the metal is cold!"

"Ye~s, Daddy, I know!"

Masaki was wearing a broad smile under his white mask, not visible for anyone but when Jun looked at him, he could see the happiness in his eyes and answered the smile right away.

"How is it, does Ai take after her mother or her father?" Masaki wondered out loud, only sharing a thought that seemingly randomly crossed his mind while he was watching the beloved young girl. 

The two men continued walking to the destined bench at the edge of the playground from where they would have a good overview of the scene. Jun looked at him, a bit confused, as if he hadn't counted on such a question. "I guess both," he answered then, wondering for a few seconds as they settled down next to each other. "She has a similar way of thinking that I have, she's straight forward, she knows what she wants… but her talent for cooking and her beauty she definitely inherited from her mother."

"Oh, don't say that, you're a beauty too," Masaki chuckled, hitting his boyfriend's shoulder, who blushed nicely then. "Even if I can't say that you're such a good cook, true…"

"Hey!" Jun slightly punched Masaki at the side, laughing.

"I'm sorry but it's the truth!" Masaki chuckled, protecting his side from another punch. "However, she definitely has your gorgeous lips. And those adorable moles."

"I'm glad though she doesn't have my eyebrows," Jun joked as he blushed a little after hearing Masaki's compliments.

"Well, for a man they are suitable. I love them. You could be a male model!"

"You can stop flattering me now, Masaki," the young man grinned. "But… to tell the truth, during the time when I started designing, I worked as a model. I got to know Ai's mother during such a job. We were both representing a Japanese fashion label in New York."

"New York?" Masaki gaped. "Wow, that's pretty awesome! And that's where you fell for each other?"

Jun chuckled at the old memory and scratched the back of his head. "Well, more or less. I was stunned by her beauty. We were young and inexperienced, barely of age. First, she played hard to get but then we got together and just a few months later she told me she was pregnant."

"With Ai-chan," Masaki concluded and Jun nodded. "Wow, you became pretty young parents, didn't you?"

"Well, _I_ became a parent. _She_ abandoned Ai as soon as the little angel was born," Jun said bitterly.

"How horrible… a mother leaving her child behind… You resent the woman for what she did?"

For a few minutes, Jun didn't reply and the two of them just watched over the two girls playing. Then, he finally answered. "I quickly realized that it was for Ai's best not to be close to that woman."

"Why?"

"She… she wasn't meant to be a mother. She wasn't meant to be a wife, part of a family, nothing of that. She would have brought unhappiness and misery for the little girl so I let her follow her dream of being a model and received full custody for our daughter. I took Ai and tried to get a decent job in the fashion business. I studied as much as possible about design and fashion, I had to travel the world sometimes so Ai and I moved quite often, which was of course not the best thing for a young child but…"

"Better than leaving her alone," Masaki completed his boyfriend's sentence and Jun nodded. "And now you're here."

"And I don't intend to go anywhere."

"Have you met Ai-chan's mother since then?"

"Yeah, two or three times but she didn't even want to see her daughter, she only wanted to borrow some damned money _from an old acquaintance_ ," Jun sighed.

"Unbelievable…," his boyfriend slightly shook his head, looking at Ai. How could someone not want to meet this little angel?

"However, I wouldn't let her come close to my princess anyway," the other said determined.

"I wouldn't let anyone else touch her either!" Masaki flailed. "Ai-chan is just so cute!"

"She can be an angel, true. Not always though."

"That's what makes people interesting, right? My brothers, even if they can be harsh and grumpy or ignorant, they are really cute too!" the older said proudly. "I told you Kazu seems to like Sho-san, right? And Satoshi is finally officially dating his girlfriend."

"He’s _finally officially dating his girlfriend_? What do you mean, what kind of relationship did they have before?" Jun asked interested at the slightly confusing statement.

"Let’s say my older brother can be a playboy, if you know what I mean. But I think he just needed to find the right person. And that’s Yui-chan, apparently."

"Good to hear. And about Kazu-kun and the doctor?"

"Sho-san drops by to play games with him, isn’t that cute? Like some kind of home date."

" _Are_ they dating?"

"Not yet."

"Well, it sounds more like a babysitter-teenager relationship to me," the younger man joked, placing the bags on the wooden bench.

"Don’t say anything bad about it!" Masaki retorted. "They are so cute together! You should see how they look at each other, it’s so obvious… my brother just needs a bit more time. And even if they won’t date, at least he finally found a friend, I was truly worried about him."

"You sound like a real mother, you know that?" Jun chuckled before he decided to tease his boyfriend a little. "Just that you don't need to worry about this thirty-something grown-up man stealing your kid’s virginity."

Masaki stared at Jun, blankly.

Jun laughed out loud. "Don’t look so troubled, I was just joking, really! Age difference doesn’t really matter nowadays and since they are both guys, no need to be worried about a teenage pregnancy, right?"

His partner didn’t answer and instead they finally sat down onto the bench next to each other while Ai and Konomi were still playing on the nearby swings cheerfully. While Jun rummaged in his bag to get out some drinks for himself and his boyfriend, the other was watching over the two girls.

"You know what?" Masaki suddenly started. "Actually, Kazu isn’t particularly a teenager any longer. He’s already 27."

"What?!" Jun gaped and a can of juice almost slipped through his fingers. "Are you kidding me?! I thought… seriously, he looks like 17!"

"I know. He takes after our father, you know?"

"Wow, good genes, I guess… but…"

Masaki signed. "Now you wonder why he’s behaving like a teenager in puberty, sitting at home all day long, grumping, without having a job at this age, right?"

"Well… I guess the situation isn’t simple, right? Sorry to say but… he’s not exactly… sociable. I guess it’s hard for him to find a job," Jun assumed carefully.

"So to say. First, I tried to encourage him but the only thing he does is sulking about how much of a good-for-nothing he is and that nobody would employ him anyway."

"What did he do after school? I mean, did he go to university or something?"

"I couldn’t bear for him to leave the house. At that time his physical and mental condition was really bad. Satoshi and I could convince him to enroll in some online courses and he managed to get a degree in computer science - he’s not stupid at all, you know," Masaki continued telling his little brother’s story and even Jun could see that he was a little proud of him. "But then, he refused to search for a proper job after that. He’s just… yeah, like you said, not exactly sociable. I was worried about him and felt pretty lost but then I thought, maybe it wouldn’t make him happier either. For now, I can just support him as much as I can and our father left us quite a bit of money so there isn’t exactly a _need_ for him to work. And to be honest, I’m relieved if he doesn’t leave the family because of a job, so I don’t really push him any longer. Maybe I’m a bit too selfish too but I want to have him close…"

"So that you can protect him, right?" Jun asked, understanding.

Masaki nodded. "Exactly. You know, once when he still was a teenager, he ran away from home. He was really messed up back then, our father had left us behind to go on his journey, our relatives hated us because they saw us as bastards and Kazunari's body was pretty weak. Back then, he wanted to die."

Jun looked at his boyfriend, shocked, and his hand out to his boyfriend to give him some support. "To die?" he asked carefully.

"He left a good bye message for me and Satoshi, he wrote that he didn't want to bother us any longer and blamed himself and his sickness for our father's departure so he thought that our problems would be solved once he was gone but of course, we didn't agree," the man continued, the unpleasant memory overwhelming him. "For days we did everything we could to find him but it was like he had vanished from the earth's surface."

"I bet you were worrying to death," Jun murmured sympathetically. Masaki pressed his hand.

"Just when Satoshi and I almost gave up on him, one morning I found him at the edge of our relatives' mansion, lying there, without moving. For a moment, I thought, he was dead, it was so horrible but thank God he had just lost conscious. Though he seemed as if he could die from thirst within minutes…"

"So he actually came back? Did he change his mind? What happened during those few days?" his boyfriend asked in curiosity but again, Masaki shook his head.

"I have _no_ idea what happened and why he came back and when he regained conscious and I asked him, he didn't remember anything from that time, it was like he had deleted the memory of those days completely."

"Maybe it was a too traumatizing experience that he wanted to forget."

"Maybe…"

"The most important is, that he came back, right? I'm sure he changed his mind because of you and Satoshi," Jun offered his boyfriend a smile but only got a slightly doubting look back. "You’re a great brother Masaki, really. Kazu-kun is lucky to have you. And maybe, one day he’ll find something he wants to do with his life and everything will be OK."

Finally, Masaki smiled back. "I hope so. Thanks for cheering me up."

"I mean it!" Jun pressed Masaki’s hand lovingly. "And now, something else… what do you think about staying over at our place tonight again? We could cook something together or order pizza and make a pajama party together with the girls," Jun suggested.

"Sounds good."

He let his hand slip onto Jun’s thigh, wanting to feel the warmth of the man next to him who had become so important for him that he didn’t want to imagine one single day without him and his lovely daughter any longer. Jun smiled and put down the drinks, which he was still holding, between them so that his hand could be free to intertwine his fingers with Masaki’s, pressing them slightly.

"I have something for you and Ai," Masaki suddenly said out of the blue, making Jun turn to him with a questioning look. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out two small packages wrapped with purple ribbons.

"Eh? What’s that, Masaki?" the other asked, surprised. "It’s neither mine nor Ai’s birthday."

"That doesn’t matter. I want you two to have these, see it as an early Christmas present," Masaki said and untied the ribbon of one package, opening it to reveal a beautiful silver necklace adorned with a silver crucifix in an elegant pattern. Jun’s eyes went wide from the surprise and he blushed sheepishly when Masaki reached out to Jun to loosen his striped scarf and put the jewelry around his neck. He gently brushed the soft skin of his boyfriend before retreating again. "It’s the same for Ai-chan. I hope you two like it."

"It’s beautiful, really. Thank you so much, Masaki," Jun said smiling, still looking at the small silver crucifix hanging on his necklace.

"I liked the design and I want you to use it as… some kind of charm against all the evil in this world. I’m sorry that might sound a bit stupid," the young man let out a chuckle but even if he tried to make it look like a joke, he was sincere. "Let’s say, I put a good spell onto them with all my love for you, it will protect you. Please promise to wear them every day. Both of you."

Jun bit his lip and took a deep breath, his heart was beating eagerly in his chest. "I don’t think that anyone ever did something this cute for us. I’ll never take it off, I swear," Jun whispered, reaching for the other. He grabbed the end of Masaki’s scarf, pulling him closer and just for a moment he pushed down the mask that the other was always wearing when they were on an outing. He cupped his boyfriend’s face with both hands and then to avoid that anybody seeing his teeth, he quickly covered Masaki’s lips with his own mouth, kissing him lovingly.

“By the way, do you have some pictures from your model days? Magazine shootings? I'd love to see them! Did you go nude?" Masaki asked cheekily once they broke their kiss, just to earn a smack against the head before Jun broke out into laughter.

-+-+-

It wasn’t like Kazunari had an appointment or a _date_ with Sho. In fact, Sho didn’t even know that Kazunari was on his way to meet him. But the young man was just too curious, he had to admit. Sho had visited him a couple of times already, he had become curious about how the other lives and how his work place looked like, which the other told him so often about. But he was too shy to ask if he could go and visit Sho and so far, the other didn't invite him over. Still, the young half-vampire was wondering where this strong urge to meet the doctor again and again came from. It wasn't only like they were gravitating towards each other solely due to affection, it was if something else was connecting them…

Kazunari still had the business card Sho gave him, straightened from the slight crinkles and covered with some traces of use since he held it in his hand so many times already, but the address of Sho’s private practice was still clearly legible and it wasn’t far from his house. So why not walk by for once – just by chance of course – and say hello?

Or at least stay in front of the building, staring at the door. That was, what Kazunari was doing right now because he was just too shy to enter the practice. He didn’t have an appointment and he wasn’t a child, so why should he visit a pediatrician during his working hours? The idea had been stupid to begin with. But since Kazunari was already here and since the consulting hours today would be over soon, he decided to quickly go buy something (to fulfill his alibi toward his brother) and return here to wait for the other to finish work. A few mothers with their children looked curiously at the pale young man with the long dark coat and the hood pulled over his fringe when they left the doctor's practice and Kazunari wondered if he might look a bit too suspicious in these clothes...

Half an hour later, finally it was Sho who exited the building, locking the door firmly behind him. Kazunari, who had been hiding, not really successfully, behind some bald bushes, stood up quickly and approached the other from behind, clearing his throat before calling out to him.

"Uhm... Sho-san!"

The young doctor whirled around in surprise and his face immediately lit up with a happy smile as he saw the younger. "Kazunari-kun, what a nice surprise! What are you doing here?"

"I... just happened to be around, needed something from the kiosk you know," Kazunari said, trying to sound casual and waved with a gaming magazine to prove his statement.

"It's nice that you dropped by. Have you had dinner already?" Sho asked and Kazunari shook his head. "Would you like to accompany me?"

Kazunari tried not to show his excitement over the invitation and just shrugged his shoulders before he followed Sho to his car, who opened the door to the passenger's seat for the younger. What a gentleman he was, Kazunari thought, pulling his hood a bit deeper over his face. He was just too perfect for him. They drove for about 10 minutes and when Kazunari asked the doctor about his day, the other told a bunch of cute and funny stories with his child patients (and their most of the time not so funny parents).

Sho stopped the car in front of a small Italian restaurant. If Kazunari didn't know it better, he would think that the doctor was bringing him on a romantic date but he was pretty sure that the young man was just used to eating in a fine restaurant. The place was really nice and Kazunari might have liked it, if he liked restaurants. Suddenly he panicked a little, of course he wouldn't be able to order anything here and Sho would find it strange for sure. So far, the young vampire was able to hide the fact that he couldn't eat pretty well from the other but refusing to order dinner in a restaurant would probably be more obvious than not partaking snacks during gaming sessions.

After checking the menu (for nothing) and getting nervous over what Sho would think about his behavior, Kazunari just ordered a glass of water for now, pretending that he wasn't hungry, while Sho ordered lasagne and a glass of juice. They talked about a lot of things, including which game Kazunari should buy next. He wanted to buy one that Sho wanted to play too and so the other enthusiastically promised to do a little research on what he would find interesting. In the end, Sho convinced Kazunari to at least order something to take home for the next day since the lasagne was so delicious. Kazunari just hoped that Masaki or Satoshi would like it too. When they stepped outside, it was already completely dark.

"Damned… I should have gone home earlier," Kazunari said, a troubled look on his face.

"I’ll drive you home," Sho offered immediately, providing the young man a friendly smile.

"Really?" Kazunari asked. "It’s not that far, I can walk…"

"But it’s dark, like you said and I don’t want you to be scared on your way home."

Kazunari pouted. "I’m not scared!"

"Of course not, sorry," Sho chuckled amused.

"Really, I’m not! But… if you really don’t mind…," the younger answered after thinking for just another second. He had to admit that he was indeed not feeling too well wandering around in the dark, knowing that an unknown vampire could just show up around the next corner. He wasn’t physically strong or fast as Satoshi was so if a vampire intended to attack him, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

"OK. Get in the car," Sho said. "It's dangerous at night after all. Even in the suburbs. Did you hear about the killed dog in the neighborhood?"

"A dog was killed?" Kazunari asked wondering as he buckled his seat belt.

Sho drove his car out of the parking lot elegantly, the lights hit the road and guided their way. "Just two streets from my practice the father of one of my little patients found their family dog dead in the garden this morning. He said it looked like a beast had ripped open its throat... It must have been terrible. He said he had to take the poor animal away before his kids saw it."

Kazunari squinted up his face. "That sounds really horrible."

"You know, the strange thing is that the body wasn't bleeding. I don't know if it's true but it sounded like there was not a single drop of blood left," Sho continued. "I really wonder what kind of wild animal can maul another animal like that..."

"You think it was a wild animal?"

"I heard that wolves are repopulating in specific areas, maybe something similar happens here too? I mean, what else should it be?" Sho asked, darting him a look the other couldn't really decipher, before he focused onto the streets again.

"Yeah, what else," Kazunari murmured. Well, he might know pretty well, _what else_ would do something like that. It was possible...

"But wolves don't drink blood, do they? It's strange... maybe the man dramatized the story a bit because he was shocked."

"Surely."

"We're here," Sho finally stated, slowing down his car, stopping in front of Kazunari's house. "Thank you very much for accompanying me to dinner, even if you weren't hungry. Next time, you choose the location?" the young doctor sent a questioning smile toward the other, who then chuckled slightly embarrassed before he promised to get in touch with Sho again and said good night.

It was the moment when Kazunari stepped out from Sho's car, he suddenly got tackled from the side. He didn't see it coming and so he stumbled to the cold ground immediately, overwhelmed by the inhuman speed of a strange person dressed in black, a hood almost covering his entire face. Even before Kazunari could react in any way, he was pinned down on his back, a heavy weight sitting on his chest and two slender but strong hands choking him. Gasping for air, the younger instinctively lifted his hands and put them onto the arms of the stranger, trying to pull and push him away but without any significant success. Instead, the stranger kept pushing him down to the ground, Kazunari's head finally hit a flagstone which was plastering the way from the street to the house and for a moment he saw stars. Damned...

The dim light of a street's lantern highlighted the long canine teeth of the unknown just for a moment, but Kazunari didn't need this kind of proof to know what was going on right now. He was sure that this stranger was the one that his brother had warned him of. He was physically strong, and his aura, even if Kazunari didn't feel it before, was more than strong, it was overwhelming. Kazunari knew that this was serious. He couldn't breathe...

"Hey! Get away from him!"

Kazunari could hear Sho's loud voice yelling from a few steps away and he could only hope and pray that the young doctor wouldn't come closer. A human being against a vampire? No chance... But it seemed like a miracle happened, the vampire just looked up, loosened the grip around Kazunari's neck and took the pressure off his throat. Kazunari panted for air eagerly. A second later, the stranger ran away. Kazunari couldn't believe it. He rolled over quickly, coughing like crazy, his throat felt awful, his sight was slightly blurred and his head hurt. Suddenly, Sho was there and the half-vampire didn't know if it was the light of the lanterns, his hurting head or this strange romantic emotion associated with the man that let him appear in bright light for him, like a savior… Sho helped him stand up, his sheer presence making Kazunari feel better in an instant. He pulled him the few steps back into his car with him.

"Oh my gosh, Kazunari-kun, are you alright?!" Sho exclaimed confused, still shocked from what had happened just a few seconds ago. He was enraged. "Who was that lunatic!? Jumping at you out of the blue and almost strangling you! Why did he attack you?"

Kazunari was still coughing and trying to catch his breath again, his hands touching his still aching throat and he still felt like he had trouble with breathing. Sho quickly brushed away the younger's hands so that he could have a proper check on him, his eyebrows were knitted with sorrow.

"I – I don't know," Kazunari gasped. The half-vampire searched his brain for a reasonable answer, something that he could tell the other but nothing came up his mind. He himself didn't know for sure what had just happened, he could just assume that the unknown vampire had a problem with him, maybe him and his brothers, because they were different. It wouldn't be the first time...

"Can you breathe properly? Your throat looks OK, there might be some bruises for a few days but I think he didn't hurt you seriously, what do you think?" Sho asked and Kazunari nodded.

"And you? Are _you_ OK? How did you manage to scare him away? He was so strong, I didn't think…," Kazunari asked worried.

He was still surprised. Under normal circumstances the vampire wouldn't have withdrawn from a human being and would have attacked him. Nevertheless the vampire didn't touch Sho. It was strange indeed. Did he only want to give Kazunari a light scare and disappear after that? Like some kind of warning? Whatever the reason might be, the young man was really relieved that nothing more had happened and that Sho didn't get hurt.

"I'm OK, I'm OK. But we should call the police or something."

"What?! No! No, don’t call the police!" Kazunari suddenly panicked. Everything that would attract unnecessary attention to his family was out of question. "I mean, I didn’t see him in the dark, I wouldn’t be able to identify the guy anyway."

"Are you sure?" Sho frowned. "What if he comes back?"

"Don’t worry so much, Sho-san, I guess, he could be just a drunkard lost in the streets…," the younger tried to convince the young doctor.

"Hm… well, if you’re fine with that… but let me call Masaki-kun, you said he's in the Matsumoto's house, right? I don't want you to be alone at home right now," the young doctor then proposed and set a call while Kazunari sighed and tried to focus on breathing properly again.

The sudden knock at the car window a few minutes later made Kazunari jump in shock. He almost bumped his head against Sho’s shoulder as he cringed and clenched the other’s arm, shrieking with a still painful throat. A quick look to his right side fortunately exposed that it was only his brother who was knocking against the window, gesturing for the other to get out of the car. Kazunari sighed in relief. He had to admit that he was scared. Really scared.

"You’re sure, you’re OK?" Sho asked again, worried.

Kazunari quickly let go off Sho’s arm, embarrassed about the sudden closeness and nodded his head eagerly. "Everything’s OK," he repeated. Masaki was here now after all…

The two men exited Sho's car and as Kazunari shot a look around again in panic, searching the area for the stranger from before, Masaki reached out to his little brother's shoulders to pull him close. He looked at him, worrying, but the younger just shook his head, signaling that he was fine. Masaki thanked Sho for taking care of the younger and offered him a drink in their house but Sho excused himself since he had to get up for work early the next day. He bid farewell to Kazunari and promised to call him again soon.

After the doctor had left the scene, Masaki dragged his brother to Matsumoto's house, convincing him that it was safer to join their pajama party than staying at home alone. For once, Kazunari didn't protest. Since Satoshi was most likely staying over at Yui's place, it indeed wasn't the most inviting imagination to stay in the large house alone.

Around 10 minutes later, while recovering from a stormy welcome attack by Ai and Konomi, Kazunari received a worried message from Sho, asking him again, if he was really OK. He was happy about the concern of the other man and felt sorry that he had to witness such a situation. Thanking him and wishing him a good night, Kazunari typed the reply, smiling softly, while Masaki sent a message to Satoshi, evoking another emergency family meeting for the next day.

_**TBC** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note at chapter 8-12: sorry, I totally forgot to update my AO3 xD so here comes a bunch of updates. Sorry for the spam!


	9. Showing Affection

The neighborhood was quiet and nothing happened further for the next few days after the encounter of Satoshi and the stranger, the killed dog, and the attack on Kazunari . The three brothers weren't sure if they could trust the silence this time, and they were right in not doing so. Because even if the unknown vampire indeed had left the area again for now, this didn't mean that he didn't intend to come back. And the next time, he wouldn't be alone. At least, this was what Satoshi foresaw in one of his dreams, a pretty detailed and frightening dream for once…

As the creature he was from birth, the strange vampire was bound to the night and so the hours in which he could move freely were limited but the group he seemed to travel with at the moment didn't reside too far away from the Tokyo suburb in which Satoshi and his brothers were living so far in their more or less quiet lives.

Satoshi was shocked at the realization that it was actually a group consisting of five vampires. Five, _real_ vampires. The one who appeared as their leader gave off a powerful aura and even if he never saw him before, Satoshi just knew that this man was the head of one of the oldest vampire clans in Japan, who might have lost his former power in the modern times but was still dreaded and respected so that nobody dared to talk against him. He was accompanied by two of his sons, his dearest nephew and his sister, the leader's most beautiful niece, and all of them were following his instructions almost blindly and if not, Satoshi was sure that he would know exactly how to make them abide to his orders.

It was this vampire's son, who had been the one spying on Satoshi that one night - he remembered, how he pressed his arm against that man’s chest - and it must also be him who had almost strangled Kazunari with those slender hands. Even if the stranger had left the impression as if he got chased away by Sho at that time, Satoshi was pretty sure that he had just retreated voluntarily. As a real vampire, that guy would have been able to finish both of them without blinking an eye if he had wanted to and he _had_ to be just holding back because he was ordered to and this was probably the only reason why Kazunari was still alive... It had been his father's order – check them out, scare them a little and come back without creating any big damage for now. Nevertheless, Satoshi could feel the desire to kill deep inside of this creature. While observing the current situation in this dream right now, Satoshi got overwhelmed by that strong emotion of the vampire. It was like he wasn’t only an observer of the scene, but somehow part of it, knowing and feeling stuff that Satoshi as an outsider shouldn’t be able to know and feel. He shivered in his dream.

The vampire returned from his mission to his group when it was still pitch black and no human soul was out on the streets. He entered an old hut in the woods that apparently served as the group's quarters for now, without making any noise. When he suddenly appeared right next to his father who was sitting in an old armchair, watching his descendants killing time with trivial things, the latter wasn't surprised at all and didn't even need to turn his head to acknowledge his son's presence.

"Welcome back. So? What did you find out?" the clan's head asked in a low tone immediately, his chin bedded on his slim fingers and his darting eyes following the actions of his son who was trying to teach a bat some new tricks at the moment.

His son reached with his hand and pushed back the black hood to expose his face, a really good-looking, defined face with a sharp nose and an at the same time devilish and cute smirk adorning his lips. He chuckled. "It's hilarious, really. Those three seem to be pretty clueless. Only one of them has the slightest hint of owning some special powers and the other two are basically human beings with malfunctions. I don’t think that we have to take them serious. If it wasn’t for the fun to go there together, I could have finished them in one go by my own."

As he felt an unbearable anger roaming in his belly, Satoshi had to pull himself together in order not to jump at that creature for calling his brothers _humans with malfunctions_. But it wouldn’t help anyway, he couldn’t interact with what he saw right now, this was just a _dream_ after all, at the most the mirror of the possibility of a present or future situation.

"So the rumors are true?" the boss's nephew asked, showing a hint of interest.

"Obviously," the spy answered. "They are really useless. I don’t see any danger coming from them. One of them is a mother hen and the other can’t even drink blood, I mean, what kind of joke is that?"

"Sounds disgusting," the only female vampire, the boss' daughter, answered, cringing up her nose while she was brushing her long black hair with her sharp fingernails.

"Freaks, indeed," her brother admitted. Satoshi clenched his fists.

The head of the clan chuckled disparagingly, letting his long fingers stroke his chin. "They are truly an offense to our whole race. Something that needs to be wiped from the surface of this world."

So this was their aim?! To kill Satoshi and his brothers?

"I wonder why their clan let them go," the nephew exclaimed. "If they were part of ours, I’m sure we would have killed them already."

"It’s because of their father," the leader started to explain. "Just like me, he’s from ancient blood and he’s one of the big names. We fought for the vampires in ancient Japan side by side and grounded our existence in this country hundreds of years ago. As a reward we received a free hand on whatever we wanted to do afterwards. We aren’t reigning but we still have some power in the background. I wanted money to build an impressive domain for my family and in the end he preferred to travel the world and make some monster children with inferior human women," the vampire made a disgusted face. "His clan at least had enough pride not to accept them as part of them but they couldn’t just let them disappear or he would have ripped apart those who killed his children, so they only chased them away once the oldest son was of legal age. They are outsiders of the community."

"Won’t we get into trouble with their father if something happens to them?"

"Not if we do it at the right time and if we don’t leave traces behind. He’s supposed to be somewhere in Scandinavia right now as I was informed. The time is right," a devilish look adorned the ancient vampire's face.

"I love your way of thinking, Father," the vampire’s son smirked, rubbing his hands together.

"You really mean it, don’t you?" the female vampire asked, rolling her eyes.

The father gave her a challenging look, raising his thick eyebrows. "Are you against it, Mao-chan?"

"No, no, I just wondered if there isn’t something more fun to kill our time with. They sound pretty boring."

"Oh, I guess it could become fun," her brother chimed in. "I already found out about their weaknesses. They are just too attached to the human world and the human beings. Let’s torture them a little before we finish them off."

"We can play with them? Uncle, can we play with them?"

"Let’s play with them," the clan's leader said, smirking devilishly.

When Satoshi snapped his eyes open, he realized, that his whole body was trembling. Damned.

-+-+-

Despite the rope of sand, things had to move on as normal as possible and so the three brothers tried not to let the happenings affect their lives too much. However, Satoshi was restless, which was pretty unusual and Masaki had to admit that it made him feel slightly nervous to see his brother unsettled like this. He himself tried to see the situation from the bright side and with humor, or at least he tried not to show the others that he was troubled. What troubled him the most anyway, was more of the confused look of his boyfriend Jun when Masaki tried to hang up garlands of garlic at the Matsumoto’s front door and he had to come up with a credible explanation. And it was truly doubtful how credible Masaki’s argument, that it would be part of the Christmas decoration, was. However, at the least when Masaki showed a plate filled with his self-made Christmas cookies, Jun didn’t question anything any longer and just enjoyed one of them to the fullest before he even thought about sharing them with his little daughter later on when he picked her up from school. (I can see the time problem now. It just feel that too many things have happened for it to just be Christmas. But I guess it can work and keep the story really tight)

"Did you talk to Kazunari-kun about the 24th?" Jun asked his boyfriend, feeding him a cookie too, as they went inside and settled down next to each other on the couch in the living room.

"He played hard to get but in the end he agreed to take care of Ai-chan for the evening, don’t worry. She can also stay overnight, he said. It’s not like he’s actually busy with anything else than gaming and meeting with Sho-san anyway," Masaki chuckled before he added amused, "You’ve got some chocolate on your lips, darling."

"Eh?" Jun lifted his hand, searching for it without being successful.

"Wait, I’ll do that for you," the older grinned and leaned forward to lick away the chocolate crumble at the corner of his boyfriend’s mouth before he pecked his lips.

"Thanks…," Jun blushed cutely from that action. "And you’re sure you want to cook? It’s not only Christmas, it’s also your birthday after all," Jun then continued while leaning against Masaki’s shoulder. "I could take you out for a fancy dinner, I got a nice bonus from one of my clients, you know?"

Masaki put his arm around Jun’s shoulders, brushing his hair and let the other cuddle closer. "That’s really cute but I prefer a Christmas date at home, you know? You bring Ai-chan to Kazu, pick me up, we go to your place. I’ll cook something delicious for us and we’ll enjoy a nice evening. Just the two of us… and we'll see where it will lead us to."

Jun smiled sheepishly, as if he could read his boyfriend’s – probably not completely innocent - thoughts. Even if they were already together for a couple of weeks, they didn’t have sex yet but to be honest, this was most likely just because there wasn’t the right occasion for it. Masaki refused to do _it_ in Jun’s house when Ai was around (he didn't want to traumatize her, even if Jun said, that it wasn't like they were making it a private performance for her and they would lock the door to his bedroom) plus he wanted their first time to be perfect, nothing in between doing laundry and waiting for the young girl to return from school. Jun was OK with that. In fact, he found it cute that his boyfriend put so much thought into this topic and he had to agree that it should be something special for both of them. He reached to place a kiss on Masaki’s lips.

"Sounds great, indeed," the younger then said, putting his hand on Masaki’s thigh, stroking it lovingly. "And you’re sure, Kazunari-kun isn’t going to be overwhelmed if Ai monopolizes him for the whole night?"

"Don’t worry so much, Jun-kun, we have invited Sho-san and to be honest, I asked him to take care of our kids," Masaki put his boyfriend’s mind on ease, placing a kiss on the top of his head. "Just in case Kazu forgets his pills again or something like that..."

Jun laughed. "So while making Kazunari-kun think that _he’s_ the babysitter, actually Sho-san is babysitting him and Ai?"

"Well… you could say so."

"Don’t let Kazunari-kun hear that, I’m sure, even if he doesn’t admit it, he’s actually proud."

"I know, don’t worry."

"By the way, these cookies are heaven! Good thing that I’m not on a diet," Jun took another one from the plate he was still holding and Masaki grinned satisfied.

-+-+-

Talking about Kazunari, the youngest brother of the bunch of half-vampires did a great job to cause worry for his older brother again just a few hours later, even if at first things had looked quite bright. Since the weather was cloudy again – the weather forecast even predicted a slight chance for snow – he went out again, much to Masaki's surprise but also his pleasure. Apparently, Sho had invited Kazunari to his place on his day off for the first time since they have met and Kazunari had been just too happy about the invitation, even if he clearly tried to brush it off as nothing important in front of his brothers.

When the young man arrived at the address that Sho sent him via phone, it wasn't far from the brothers' house or the doctor's working place, he shifted nervously from one foot to the other before he was finally prepared enough to ring the bell to the apartment.

"Kazunari-kun, I'm glad you made it, come in," Sho flashed his gorgeous smile at the younger, who had a hard time not to cave in on his weak knees.

He was still wondering, when all of this started, the sudden nervousness whenever he thought about or met with Sho. That man would make him go crazy sooner or later, Kazunari was sure about that. He used to roll his eyes on Masaki and his falling in love with Jun or at Satoshi when he was talking about Yui like a love fool, even if he didn't admit that he loved her back then but now that something similar was happening to him, he felt guilty for his cheeky behavior. He hadn't planned to actually start _liking_ Sho that much and he still didn't understand why the other even showed interest in a weirdo like him, enough of to voluntarily spend time with him, but he didn't complain about it as he wanted to spend as much time with that man as possible.

"My brothers said, it's common to bring along some kind of present if you get invited so... I brought some wine that they recommended to me but I have to admit that I myself don't know anything about wine and I have no idea if you'll like it," the young man said shyly, pulling out a bottle of red Italian wine from behind his back and handed it to Sho.

The doctor took it in his hands with big interest, thanking his guest heartily before letting his eyes wander over the label, amazed by the expensive brand name and the good vintage. _He_ indeed knew something about wine and this one sounded great! He offered some guest slippers to Kazunari then and showed him the way inside. Kazunari was astonished by the tasteful furniture and the gorgeous pictures on the walls, showing beautiful photographs from Mother Nature. On their way, Sho made a short stop in the kitchen, getting two wine glasses from the cupboard.

"Would you like to try the wine with me?" he asked, pointing at Kazunari's present.

The other shook his head slightly, sending an apologetic smile toward Sho. "I'm sorry, I don't drink alcohol."

"Oh, I see. What may I offer you to drink then?"

"I'm fine with water, thanks."

Sho took a glass carafe and filled it with fresh tap water then, bringing it along with them as he guided Kazunari further.

"Oh, you... cooked lunch?" Kazunari asked the obvious when he spotted the set table in the dining room. There weren't any traces left in the kitchen, most likely that the other had cleaned everything after he finished cooking.

"Well, yeah," Sho answered, pulling back one stool, gesturing his guest to take a seat. "I wasn't sure if you'll like it but I tried to create a healthy and easy meal. You don't really eat out, right? I thought that might be because you're allergic to some types of food maybe. I hope, there's something you can eat here."

Kazunari couldn't believe the kindness and concern of the other and his heart skipped a beat, even if his stomach almost turned upside down just from the look and smell of the served meal. His experience with food was surely not on highest level but mildly cooked vegetables and salmon really looked like what would be considered "healthy" though, Kazunari thought. Too bad, that this didn't mean that it would also be healthy for him. Troubled, the young man looked at Sho who had sat down on the chair opposite to him, looking at him with a smile full of expectations.

"Uhm... I guess, I have to give it a try, right?" the young half-vampire finally said, forcing himself to smile. How could he refuse something that the other made for him with so much concern?!

Unfortunately, even with Sho's good thoughts and Kazunari's utmost effort to not show his host the torture he was putting himself through while trying the food, Kazunari's body betrayed the young man almost immediately. He managed to eat a few bites from each dish, gulping it down with a lot of water and excusing his small appetite. Sho didn't mind, that was, until Kazunari started looking even paler than usual, holding his stomach while he pressed his lips close, tightly. This was really bad...

"Kazunari-kun, is everything alright?" Sho finally asked him, worried. He stood up immediately, bending down in front of the younger man, reaching out his hand as if he intended to put it onto the other's stomach to feel it.

Kazunari gently pushed the man's hand away, not wanting to get touched right now. "I'm really sorry," he pressed out between his closed lips. "Seems that there was something I'm allergic too. Not your fault, it... was delicious."

To at least avoid the fact that he could throw up on Sho's expensive carpet, the young man then excused himself pretty quickly to go back home, much to Sho's obvious disappointment but it couldn't be helped. Sho insisted on driving him home though and Kazunari was pressing his hand against his mouth and tried hard not to breathe in the smell of the car's leather equipment, which made him feel even sicker.

After thanking Sho for everything, who bid him good bye with a truly worried look after the other had even declined from taking any medicine for his bad stomach, Kazunari finally stepped out of the car as it parked in front of his house. He went inside as fast as he could, heading for the nearest toilet to finally throw up.

It was disgusting and since he hadn’t eat for years, he had almost forgotten _how_ disgusting it was. His stomach didn't want to stop cramping, his throat felt nasty and sweat covered his forehead. Exhausted, the young man let himself sink onto the bathroom floor, hugging the toilet. It wasn’t that long when Masaki found him like this.

"Oh gosh, Kazu, what did you do?!" he immediately hurried to his brother and instinctively started to rub his back. "Are you OK?"

"No," Kazunari said. He sounded so pitiable that it hurt Masaki. "But don't worry, I… I just ate a little, that’s all."

Shocked, his brother gaped at him. "You, WHAT?! Why did you _eat_ something, you know that you get sick from it!"

Of course, Kazunari knew that, but... "Sho... he made it, especially for me, you know? I couldn’t... Oh Gosh - ," the battle with the toilet continued.

Masaki stopped his movement for a moment, touched by his brother’s words and actions. He could just assume what was laying behind the gesture of eating Sho's cooking and if his thinking was right, this would mean that his little brother had made a huge step forward, even if maybe he had sacrificed himself a little too much for that. Masaki smiled silently, his eyebrows still furrowed from worrying about Kazunari and he immediately started rubbing his back again, hoping that it would make the other feel a little bit better.

+++++

Satoshi had been alarmed when a group of unknown creatures appeared in his dreams. For once he hoped that it was just a nightmare and not a possible future and so he had decided not to tell his brothers about it yet, in order not to scare them. He would be proven wrong though, just a few days later, hearing the news about the attack onto a young woman that was found almost dead in the streets the last night, was the first indication of his nightmare becoming true.

The young woman – who turned out to be Ai’s home room teacher, Takei Emi – barely survived the attack and was admitted to the hospital for an immense loss of blood and strange wounds left behind on her neck. In the morning newspapers, a local journalist – even if in a joking style – raised the question if modern vampires that might be haunting the streets of their peaceful neighborhood and even if most people laughed at this suspicion, Satoshi didn’t find it funny at all.

"It’s impossible that this vampire just happened to _forget_ to delete his traces," Satoshi stated as he talked to his brothers about the incident. "If it was a real vampire's work, he would have killed the woman and let the body disappear, no vampire is that careless nowadays, there's more behind it…"

"Maybe, he’s an idiot?" Masaki shrugged his shoulders.

"Way to go," Kazunari snorted at his brother's comment, rolling his eyes nervously.

Masaki darted a pouting look at his younger brother. "Or a newcomer who simply doesn’t know the rules and how to behave yet."

"I fear, that's not the case. I’m sure it’s the vampire from recent inccidents. To be honest, I saw him in my dreams again. Accompanied by four other vampires. I’m worried," Satoshi admitted.

Kazunari, who was sitting at the table with his arms crossed in front of his chest, spoke up again, voicing a suspicion that bugged him from the start. "What if he – or they – are trying to make _us_ look suspicious?"

Satoshi turned his head, his eyes widened.

"You mean, they are here to cause us trouble?"

"Well, we’re more or less a thorn in most vampires’ flesh, aren’t we? They hate us, since we’re abnormal. What if they are after us?" Kazunari continued his theory. "They might begrudge us for living here among the human society peacefully and want to chase us away from here…"

"But Dad told us that no vampire clan will be after us, he made an agreement that we’re safe," Masaki chimed in.

"Are you really that naive, Maa-chan? Just because we believe in it doesn’t mean that others follow this agreement! Vampires are wicked creatures, do you think some agreement will keep them from harming us if they really want to?" Kazunari asked and his voice started shaking from angst.

"I think, they want to tease us," Satoshi said, trying to figure out from the memory about his dream, how far those vampires really might go after them.

" _Tease_ us?! Yeah, sure," Kazunari chuckled, his voice sounding desperate. "We would be easy prey for them if they are serious and Dad isn’t here, he can’t protect us, just in case you didn’t notice!"

"Kazu, calm down," Satoshi said, reaching out to touch his youngest brother’s arm.

"How can I calm down?! I’m scared! I’m scared to death! Finally things seem not so hopeless and dark any longer, you have a girlfriend for real, Maa-chan is happy with Jun and Ai-chan and they aren’t such bad neighbors, I don’t want them to get hurt either," Kazunari kept on. "And I… I don’t want to regret letting Sho-san into my life, if something happens to him – to any of them – I might never be able to forgive us for involving them."

"Kazu…," Masaki felt touched by his brother’s words. He had never heard him being so sincere about his feelings and even if the situation was far from delightful, he somehow felt happy that his little brother was finally opening up. "It’s so nice of you to be worried about our friends. I promise we’ll do everything possible to protect them."

"No offense, but what can _we_ do to protect them? We’re not exactly strong, Sato-nii is the only one who may have the possibly of being able to defend us. But against five vampires?!" Kazunari jumped up, facing his brother straight on, sheer panic adorning his face. "Oh, come on, it's just ridiculous! Look at you, look at me! I’m weak as a fly, I’ll be the first to die and won’t be able to protect anyone like this! I’m just so… useless!"

Masaki couldn’t suppress the urge of comforting his little brother any longer and so he got up and hugged him tightly, even if he earned a bit struggling from the younger at first, but he finally soothed down and allowed himself to get lost in the embrace. "We’ll find a way, Kazu, you’ll see."

The older pressed Kazunari closer to his chest as the latter let a small sob escape and eventually put his slightly shaking arms around his brother to find some support. Satoshi looked at his brothers with concern. The situation was serious and he knew they were scared. He was too, honestly, but he was the oldest, he was the only family they could rely on. He had to be brave and he swore to himself that he would do everything possible to protect his brothers and their friends.

+++++

A few nights later, Satoshi went out. He didn't go to meet a possible purchaser for one of his paintings, like he sometimes did and he also didn't intend to visit his girlfriend that night. It seemed as if he was just strolling through the nocturnal town, until he suddenly stopped in the middle of a huge empty parking lot. Every noise around him seemed to disappear with the vanishing of his last shuffled footstep. He turned around, the gravel under his shoes crunching shortly before everything fell silent again. He let his look wander around, ready to catch the slightest movement, but nothing was to be seen. Satoshi took a deep breath.

"Who is there?" he asked in a loud voice. "Come out now!"

He didn’t count with it, mentally cursing, how negligent he was and just a second later, his hands got pulled behind his back, his wrists crushed together in a powerful grip. He tried to take a step forward, but the stranger behind him was strong, too strong, thus holding him in place.

"Oh, oh, you discovered me? And I tried so hard to not attract your attention," a voice behind him said in an amused tone. It was the same voice like one of those that Satoshi had heard in his dream.

"Don’t underestimate me," Satoshi hissed. "I expected you and I know that you’re following me since I left home. What do you think why I left?"

"To drag me away from your lovely family? How cute…," the stranger said in a sing-song voice. "You have a pretty big bunch of people to take care of, don’t you? Do you think you’ll manage to protect all of them? I’d recommend you to pay really close attention to them or something might happen to them."

"Who are you and what do you want?" Satoshi asked forcefully.

"I'm a _real_ vampire and this beautiful lady in that dark corner over there is my dear sister," the vampire said while the pale woman with long black hair took a few steps out of her hiding place, the dim light of a lantern reflecting in her suddenly red shining eyes. In a fast movement, not seen by normal eyes, she vanished into thin air, just to reappear right next to Satoshi, letting her hair drop onto the half-vampire’s shoulder. "We’re part of the Kusanagi-clan, my father and your father were both companions and rivals hundreds of years ago and we think that you and your brothers are a disgrace of our species," the male vampire continued.

His sister brushed her cold lips against Satoshi’s ear before she whispered, "We want you dead."

Satoshi went pale on an instant, feeling a sharp finger nail against his throat. The female vampire laughed a silent but horrifying laughter.

"Oh but don’t worry, we won’t kill you just like that," her brother chuckled. "First, we want to have fun, right Mao-chan?"

"Definitely," the beauty agreed.

"We’ll let you and your friends suffer first, so that in the end you and your brothers will whine and beg us to kill you," her brother hissed, tightening his grip around his hostage’s wrists.

"Who should we get first? Your neighbors maybe, that good-looking young man and his adorable daughter? Or that doctor who takes care of one of your useless brothers?" Mao asked in a whisper, letting her finger scratch slightly over Satoshi’s skin. "Or what about your precious little girlfriend Yui-chan? She looks so cute when she’s sleeping peacefully in her baby blue nightdress, right, Toma?"

Satoshi gulped. "Don’t dare touching only one of them, I swear, it will be the last thing you ever do," he spit vitriolic, his body starting to tremble from anger.

" _That_ I’d like to see," the male vampire chuckled amused. "Don’t worry, you’ll receive a chance to prove your strength in a fair fight. Well, _fair_ might not be the right term with regards to your condition but anyway…"

"Go to hell!" Satoshi screamed and as soon as the grip around his wrists loosened, he turned around – just to find the vacant parking lot in front of him. "Damn it!" he cursed and started to run.

-+-+-

"Satoshi, what’s going on, it’s the middle of the night," Yui, indeed dressed in a blue nightdress and wearing a small crucifix on a silver necklace, asked dozily as she opened the door to her apartment after an attack of bell ringing. "Why didn’t you call me?"

Her boyfriend pushed her back into the apartment, surprising her, and quickly slammed the door. "Are you OK?" he asked her, worrying as he put his hands onto her shoulders. His breath was hitching and he looked like he ran a marathon. "You’re not hurt, they didn’t pay you a visit, did they?"

The young woman frowned, reaching her hands out to cup Satoshi’s face. "What are you talking about, dear? I’m perfectly fine, you see? Who should visit me?"

Satoshi sighed relieved before he bent forward, kissing Yui hurriedly before pulling her into a strong hug, pressing her close to his chest. Slowly, his breath calmed down. "Good…"

"Satoshi, what’s wrong?" Yui asked a bit nervously, grabbing her boyfriend’s jacket.

After a few minutes of not wanting to let go of her, Satoshi finally loosened the hug and stepped away so that he could face Yui properly. He took her hand and slightly pulled her with him, making her follow him into her bedroom. He opened her wardrobe, searching for something until he found her backpack. He pulled it out, tossing it onto her bed.

"Satoshi, what…," the girl wondered, looking at him with questioning eyes.

"Yui, listen to me, this is important," the man answered, lifting his hands in a calming gesture, not sure if he was trying to calm down his girlfriend or himself. "You have to leave town, you hear me? It’s not safe here for you."

Yui didn’t understand. "What are you talking about?"

"We have to hurry. Come on, pack some clothes and your most important stuff, not more than what can fit into this backpack if possible," her boyfriend continued, pushing her in the direction of her wardrobe.

"I don’t understand what’s going on!" the young woman said, turning toward Satoshi and putting her hands on his arms to stop his nervous movements. "Why should I pack some stuff, are we leaving? Did something happen to your brothers?"

"Not yet, but we’re in danger and since the two of us are connected, now you are too. I can’t allow them to hurt you," Satoshi said in a desperate voice, brushing his hand over his face.

"Who? Who wants to hurt me?"

"Vampires. _Real_ vampires. I’ll get you a taxi to the train station."

Yui stared at her boyfriend, not able to process this information on the spot.

"Now hurry, I mean it!" he shouted.

Then she finally moved, turning around quickly, grabbing a few clothes from her wardrobe and started to stuff them into her backpack. She hurried to the bathroom, taking just the most important items and hurried back to her room to get her ID card and her wallet. She dressed quickly into a comfortable pair of jeans and a jumper and despite the baggy look and the time pressure he felt, Satoshi couldn’t stop thinking that she was the most beautiful woman on earth. His heart cringed.

"Are you coming with me?" Yui asked when she slipped on her boots in the entrance area, grabbing her coat. She let Satoshi step outside first before she pulled the door close to lock it.

He grabbed her hand and they hurried down the staircase. "I wish I could but I have to stay here to protect my brothers."

"Then I want to stay too," Yui said, stopping abruptly, making Satoshi turn around.

"No dear, really, please," he begged her. "I can’t protect _all_ of you. I want to know you safe."

"I don’t want to leave you behind. What if something happens to you?" she asked worried.

"Nothing will happen to me, we’ll just be separated for a while," Satoshi said, pulling her along slightly.

"For how long? And where should I go to anyway?" she started to freak out, Satoshi could see the panic in her face, small tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

If he wasn’t in such a hurry, he would have hugged her again to hold her tight and to calm her down but he didn’t know what exactly the vampires were up to. They could be attacking his brothers at this very moment, they could do something to Jun and Ai or to Sho, they were unpredictable and he just wanted to know that the woman he loved was safe before he go and check on the others. His heart felt as if it was ripped apart but he just couldn’t be everywhere at the same time.

"You told me you have relatives in Osaka, don’t you? I want you to go there," the man said and finally they are moving again. On the streets, he waved his hands at a taxi, which drew close immediately, halting at the side walk, the back door opening to welcome the new customer.

"How long do I have to stay away?" Yui asked as her boyfriend slowly pushed her inside the taxi before leaning forward to the taxi driver, giving him a bundle of money and instructing him that he should go to the train station as fast as possible so that Yui could still catch the next train to Osaka.

"I’ll pick you up as soon as possible and bring you back home."

Yui was clenching Satoshi’s sleeves, not willing to be separated from him. "I’m scared, Satoshi," she said, a first tear running down her cheek. "You have to _promise_ me that you will come and get me!"

"I promise, Yui. I’ll do my best."

"Will you call me?"

"I'll try to. They might spy on me, I can’t afford them to find out where you are so we should be careful," Satoshi said, reaching to her hand to press it.

"You know… waking me in the middle of the night, pushing me into a taxi to get to Osaka out of the blue… if I didn’t know your background, I’d call you crazy," Yui whispered and Satoshi sighed knowingly.

"I fear, this _is_ crazy. And I’m sorry for dragging you into this, Yui."

She tried to give him a smile, shaking her head slightly as her eyes didn’t leave his. "I chose it myself, it’s not your fault. I love you! Just promise me that nothing will happen to you and that we’ll see each other again, Satoshi."

"I’m so sorry to drag you into this," Satoshi murmured again, cupping his girlfriend’s face and brushing his lips lovingly against her cheeks.

"Satoshi, promise!"

"I promise. I love you," he said and they said good bye with a last, tender kiss.

**_TBC_**


	10. Celebrations

Around two hours after Satoshi literally pulled her out of her sleep and into a taxi that brought her to Tokyo to the main train station for catching the Shinkansen to Osaka, Yui was sitting in one of the cabins, still staring out into the dark, unable to sleep. Of course, how could she be able to sleep now after what had happened just a few hours ago?

Her boyfriend that showed up in front of her apartment, in the middle of the night, almost freaked her out as he talked her into leaving – immediately. They were in danger, was his explanation, he, his brothers and Yui and he wanted to keep her safe. Yui couldn't deny that she felt happy that her boyfriend cared so much about her but she also had to admit that she was deadly worried. Not about herself, she was much more worried about Satoshi and his brothers.

Just when her eyes fell onto her cell phone that she had placed in front of her on a small table, hoping that Satoshi would text her or something, she remembered that she didn't have time – or the nerves – to do any preparations yet for her stay in Osaka. It was true that she had relatives there but she hadn’t met them for quite some time and if she showed up so spontaneously, she wasn't sure if they could take her in or if she had to search for somewhere else to stay until her boyfriend would come to pick her up as he had promised. The young woman grabbed her phone, checking the time. It was ridiculously late, or early, not even 4 in the morning. Should she even try reaching her relatives at an unholy time like this?

Yui decided to give it a try, the worst that could happen was a mailbox picking up the call or someone scolding her for waking them and she could live with that. With this, she scrolled through the address book of her phone until she found the number of her cousin and made the call. His phone must have been ringing a few times until finally, he answered it.

 _"Yeah, Ohkura speakin'?"_ Yui immediately recognized the familiar voice, and the Osaka dialect she liked so much, despite the heavy sleepiness accompanying it.

Relieved, she sighed, her face adorned with a loving smile as the warm flush of joined memories with her family in Osaka seemed to overwhelm her. "Tacchon? I'm sorry if I woke you up, it's me, Yui."

Immediately, her cousin, Ohkura Tadayoshi, sounded much more awake than just a moment ago. _"Yui-chan! It's been a while, are ya OK? Calling at sucha time..."_

"I'm really sorry for that," the young woman said, squinting her eyes and bowing slightly to apologize, just to realize that it was over the phone and her cousin couldn't see her anyway. "And I'm sorry for the following too. It's quite sudden but may I stay at yours and your parents' place for a few days?"

_"Eh? Visiting yar old relatives for Christmas, na? Sure, when ya wanna come?"_

"To be honest, I'm sitting in the Shinkansen to Osaka already... I might arrive in about two hours. If it's OK for you, I'll take a taxi and come straight to your house," Yui confessed.

_"Sure, no problem, I'll wait for yar arrival. Ya really must miss us!"_

"Thank you, Tacchon, I owe you one...," Yui grasped her cell phone, sighing again in relief.

 _"Really everythin' OK, Yui-chan?"_ Tadayoshi asked concerned.

"Yeah yeah, let's talk later on, alright? Sorry again for the late call!"

_"Aight. See ya later, have a good journey!"_

\-----

As announced, about two hours later, grabbing the first taxi she could catch, Yui arrived at the Ohkura's place. Dawn was already breaking and the silhouettes of the street's buildings started to retake their shape in front of the human eye. The house of Yui's relatives was a traditional Japanese house. The front part was remodeled as a small shop for electronic devices that Tadayoshi's father sold in the neighborhood, as well as offering some small electrician's works like installing lamps and such too. The back part of the house served as the living space of the family, consisting of Yui's aunt, uncle and her cousin Tadayoshi, a place that Yui used to share for a few years of her childhood when her parents had lived outside of Japan due to their jobs. This had actually been the home in her heart when she was younger, probably much more than her parent's house had ever been.

Her cousin, best friend and confident from childhood days was – as promised - waiting for her in front of the house's entrance door, packed in a warm green parka and shivering slightly when he came closer to the taxi that came to halt in front of the building. He immediately opened his arms to welcome Yui with a tight hug and a happy smile, as she stepped out of the car. The young woman happily answered the gesture, greeting her cousin.

"Eh, where's yar suitcase?" the young man then asked as they parted again, not spotting any luggage as the taxi drove away.

"I don't have any, everything I need is in here," Yui said, pointing at her backpack.

"Anyway, lemme take a look at ya, t's been so long, two years?" Tadayoshi said smiling, grabbing Yui's hands and looking at her from top to toes.

"Much too long, that's fa sure..," she nodded, adjusting to the Osaka dialect, just a little bit.

"Ya've become even more beautiful, young lady," the young man complimented her with a nudge against her arm and she grinned in response.

"And you seem to have grown even more!"

"Impossible," Tadayoshi chuckled playfully. "I'm n'adult already for years, didn't grow'n inch!"

"Anyway, every time I see ya, I feel like standing next to a mountain."

"That's just because ya're so short, Yui-chan."

"You!" Yui playfully hit her cousin's belly and Tadayoshi pretended to be hurt as he bent forward over an imaginary aching stomach, just like in olden days.

He then – of course – recovered quickly and pointed at the house behind him. "C'mon in first, I prepared a futon for ya in' living room, hope's fine for ya?"

Yui nodded smiling and followed her cousin as he went back to the front door. "'Course, thank you so much. Did you wake auntie?"

Tadayoshi shook his head. "No, didn't."

"Alright, then let's be quiet," the young woman lowered her voice as she stepped inside behind him and he did the same, paying attention not to wake anyone else in the house.

Tadayoshi handed Yui some slippers as she pulled off her shoes in the entrance area. He then offered her to put away her warm winter coat before he showed her inside. When the young woman set her feet onto the familiar tatami floor and felt the warmth of her second home, she whispered a silent "I'm back home", letting her eyes wander around, just to realize that nothing much had changed in here. She smiled.

"We'll sleep for another few hours an' talk to her in' morning, yeah?" Tadayoshi suggested.

"Sounds good."

"Lemme know if ya need anythin'else, na?"

"Yes, thank you," the young woman answered and the two wished each other a good night after Tacchon promised Yui to make her favorite breakfast in the morning in order to celebrate her visit.

When Yui had made herself comfortable on the futon that Tadayoshi had set up for her next to the low table in the living room, she grabbed her cell phone again and quickly typed a message to Satoshi, asking if everything was fine with him and his brothers, and letting him know that she had arrived safely in Osaka and would stay at her cousin's place. She gave him the address so that he knew where to find her. Then, she laid back onto the pillow and pulled the thick blanket over her to get warm, hoping she could at least sleep for another two or three hours but her thoughts kept her awake. She then set an alarm so that she wouldn't miss calling to work early to tell them that she had to take some time off urgently (hoping that she wouldn't lose her job because of that). She put the phone back right next to her pillow, staring again into the darkness of the room. A few seconds later, she got a notification and she rolled around quickly to check her phone, extremely happy to find a message from her boyfriend.

_"I'm happy you're safe, please take care, don't go outside alone after dark if possible and excuse the ruckus from before. For now, everything seems fine here and I hope I'll be able to pick you up soon. I love you. Satoshi ♥"_

Yui smiled lovingly, brushing her thumb over the heart mark and answered happily, returning three, knowing that it would make her boyfriend blush but happy too. And finally, she found her peace of mind again, slipping into the sleep that she was missing and needed so much after this eventful night.

She didn't see or hear the creature outside that was scurrying away from the window without making a noise, neither did she notice that she had been spied on…

+-+-+

Satoshi wasn't sure, if he should be happy about the whole situation or not, but since the meeting with the vampires three nights ago, when they threatened to do something to his girlfriend, again nothing had happened. The young man was frustrated. Not that he wasn't happy that nothing happened to his brothers, and also Yui seemed to be fine, considering the messages he received a few times a day to ensure that his love was still safe, he was really relieved.

However, it was frustrating that he had to send her away so that he could concentrate on protecting Masaki, Kazunari, and their friends, without knowing if and when he might be able to bring her back and if, when and on whom those damned vampires would attack– or not. Maybe they just wanted to scare them, play with them, maybe they just made fun of Satoshi and his brothers and didn't even intend to harm them. But what about his dream then? And the threat? The situation had sounded severe, it had sounded really dangerous.

The oldest brother wasn't in the mood for celebration at all but Masaki’s birthday, as well as Christmas has come and if little Ai was excited about the event because of all the festive decorations, the nice mood, all the delicious Christmas sweets and of course presents, Masaki was even more excited. _His_ reason might be the upcoming Birthday-date with his boyfriend though, Satoshi was sure about that. He looked at his brother, smiling, as Masaki wrapped a few presents with colored gift paper in the living room, decorating Christmas cards and ribbons on top of them to make the picture perfect.

Just before his planned romantic dinner with Jun, Masaki had invited him and Ai for a small Christmas party. Of course, Yui would have been invited too but Satoshi had told his brother that she was spending a few days with some relatives and couldn't come. He didn't even have to lie. as Masaki had pouted and was convinced that his older brother had just come up with another lame excuse so that he didn't have to introduce his girlfriend to his family. Satoshi had just pulled in his lips and resigned from answering, knowing that the truth was quite different and much more difficult. He didn't want to scare his brothers, not if it wasn't really necessary. He had warned them and made a few arrangements, hoping that those will help them if it came to a catastrophe. He sent Yui to a safe place and had got those small silver crucifixes for her and their friends as an – even if just small but effective against the worst things for a start – protecting talisman.

Surprisingly, it was Kazunari who was setting up a small tree on a small table in the living room, decorating it with some colorful Christmas baubles and shining, gold tinsel. This wasn't the only surprising thing, what was even more shocking in the eyes of the other two brothers was that Kazunari was humming some famous, happy Christmas songs while doing the decorations. Something that he never did before. He wasn't fond of festive activities, neither Halloween, which Masaki loved so much, nor Christmas, but this year everything seemed to have changed. Maybe, Satoshi thought, this was thanks to Masaki having invited Sho to their small party too, who was scheduled – without Kazunari's knowledge – to keep an eye on Ai for this evening too, helping the youngest brother to babysit the little girl once Masaki and Jun were back at the Matsumotos’ house.

Sho was the only one who didn't wear a crucifix yet but Kazunari had – pretending to be casual - begged his brother to get one for the doctor too, so that he could give it to him, just in case. Satoshi wondered, if Kazunari would be too shy to give it to him, and hoped that he would hand it over soon (maybe today as a Christmas present?) or Satoshi might have to do it himself to calm his angsty conscious. He didn't want to imagine the pain his brother would have to go through if something happened to just one of their friends...

Just when the last Christmas bauble was hung up on the tree and Masaki had arranged the last few presents around it, teasing his youngest brother a bit for not knowing the lyrics of some Christmas song, the doorbell rang. Kazunari immediately looked into the direction of the front door, but it was Masaki who got up to open it. A minute later, he led Jun and Ai - the little girl riding him piggyback style while wearing a red Santa Claus hat and holding a bag – into the living room.

"Go, Rudolf!" the young girl cried joyfully until she and Masaki reached the couch and the half-vampire let her drop onto it, causing her to giggle.

Ai quickly got up again then, hurrying to Kazunari, who was kneeling in front of the low table with the Christmas tree and the presents, to give him a stormy hug.

"Merry Christmas!" the girl yelled excitedly. "I have some presents for all of you! You want to see them, Kazu-kun?"

"Masaki wanted us to eat some cookies before unwrapping the presents, Ai!" Jun scolded his little daughter gently, tugging at her hat to motion her to let go off his boyfriend’s little brother.

"Aren't we waiting for Sho-san with the cookies?" the youngest brother then voiced shyly, not looking directly at his brother, but Masaki just smiled and nodded.

"Let's play a card game until Sho-san arrives, alright, Ai-chan?" he asked the girl and Ai agreed enthusiastically, but only under the condition that all of them – including Satoshi and Kazunari – would join the game.

The next time when the doorbell rang, it was Kazunari who jumped up first from the dining table they used as their playground and even if Masaki was automatically moving too, he smilingly settled back into his seat, focusing again onto the cards in his hand. When Kazunari came back, his face flushed, almost as red as the bunch of amaryllis he was holding in his arms, Masaki had a hard time trying to hide his broad grin, lifting his hand of cards to cover it. He let his look wander to Jun and Satoshi, who slightly bit their lips in order not to grin too obviously either and then it was Ai who – of course – had to voice the obvious.

"Wah! Sho-chan-sensei, how did you _know_ that Kazunari-kun would prefer flowers over chocolate? Awesome!" the young girl exclaimed, jumping up and running towards the doctor, who lifted his hand and brushed it over her hair as a greeting.

"Well, I supposed that he might like them more than something to eat," the man answered and shot a look towards Kazunari who quickly averted his eyes sheepishly, as he came back from the kitchen with a water filled vase for the flowers, placing them on the table. Then, the doctor’s attention returned to the little girl, pulling a small present out from his pocket. "But I figured that _you_ might prefer chocolate, right, Ai-chan? Merry Christmas!"

"Thank you!" the little girl jumped in joy and smiled at Sho happily before she ran to her father to ask him if she was allowed to unwrap it since she wanted to try the chocolate immediately.

After Masaki nudged his boyfriend, giving him a meaningful look and a tender smile, Jun finally gave in and allowed his daughter to eat the sweets and generous as Ai was, she offered everyone sitting on the table some to try while Sho handed another small present to the others (a bottle of another good wine for Masaki and Satoshi and some more snacks for Jun and Ai). He then got dragged into the living room by the excited girl who proudly showed him the Christmas tree Kazunari had set up. While Ai ran back to her father and Masaki to ask if they now could _finally_ eat the cookies and unwrap all of their presents, Sho let slip another small, flat present – perfectly fitting the size of a game case - labeled with Kazunari’s name onto the table and hid it among the others.

They all met in the living room then, Masaki handing out some plates with different types of Christmas cookies and everyone – except of Kazunari of course – tried them and praised the other for his baking talent, making him all smiles. Afterwards, to especially Ai’s and Masaki’s excitement, the brothers and their guests exchanged a few small Christmas presents or Christmas cards and congratulated Masaki to his birthday. Jun whispered something about having his present next door into his boyfriend’s ear, while Ai proudly handed a small self-made box to Kazunari, containing a 500 yen coin which was supposed to get saved so that he could buy a new game soon. She distributed a few really cute drawings to the others and Masaki seemed to have knitted scarves, mittens and hats for everyone, not especially well done but with – as he emphasized – all his love.

Soon, Masaki and Jun excused themselves, Jun told his daughter again to be a good girl and not to stay awake for too long and thanked Kazunari for taking care of her. He just waved his hand shyly and casually and dragged Ai and Sho into his room to play some games after setting up their beds for later. The couple bid Satoshi good bye and Masaki told him that he was only available for real emergencies, pointing to his cell phone. With a knowing smile, Satoshi nodded and went to his room to set a short call to Yui.

Kazunari, Sho and Ai made themselves comfortable in the young man’s room in the meantime. After Ai had begged Kazunari to get the doctor to stay overnight too – because pajama parties with more people were even more fun and Satoshi had declined sharing their room -, Kazunari had finally given in. He put out one of his slightly bigger pajamas to lend to Sho and searched for a futon he could place on the floor in front of his bed. He would share his own bed with the small girl then, who seemed overly happy about this decision. She was already dressed in a cute purple night dress and dotted pajama trousers, jumping happily on Kazunari’s bed. The latter reached out for her woolen jacket to put it around her small body so that she wouldn’t catch a cold. She didn’t refuse and happily jumped right into Kazunari’s arms, hugging him, who snorted as he caught her.

"When I’m grown-up, I want to marry Kazu-kun," she exclaimed out of the blue, obviously enjoying the hug. "You’ll marry me then, ne, Kazu-kun?"

Sho – still dressed in the clothes he came with and according to his friend’s instructions busy with setting up the gaming console - laughed amused at that statement, while Kazunari set Ai’s feet onto the ground, helping her to dress properly.

"I’m much too old for you, Ai-chan, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You better ask someone from your class," he suggested.

"But the boys from my class are so stupid…," the girl pouted.

"I’ll ask you again in 5 years if you still think so and if yes, we can maybe talk about a possible marriage again."

"What if Kazunari-kun wants to marry someone else in the meantime, Ai-chan?" Sho asked the girl curiously, a challenging smile on his lips.

"Hm… he must introduce that person to me and if that person isn’t any good for him, I will prohibit them from marrying," the girl said, nodding definitely, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"You have a really strict friend here, Kazunari-kun," the young doctor chuckled.

"Seems so," Kazunari said casually while grabbing the Wii controller that Sho handed him.

"What if _I_ want to marry Kazunari-kun?" Sho then smirked at Ai, only distracted for a second by Kazunari as the latter chocked on air from the shock of hearing those words.

"Sho-san, stop that!" the younger man wanted to barge in but Ai and Sho seemed to ignore him, looking at each other, seriously. Kazunari could almost see the wheels behind the young girl's forehead working, as she seemed to think hard.

She sighed heavily before smiling. "I guess, I don't have a chance against an angel like you, so I'll have to accept it. At least I'd know Kazu-kun in good hands then."

While Kazunari frowned at the young girl in confusion, Sho started laughing his typical hearty laughter, filling the room with it. The young half-vampire blushed and tried to ignore the others and focus on the game. "Now stop messing around and choose your characters, everybody, we’re going to get ready."

"I want to be Princess Peach!" Ai screamed enthusiastically, settling on the futon in between the two men. "Will you be Mario, Kazu-kun?"

"Nope, I’m Yoshi, like always," he refused.

"I guess, I’m Donkey Kong then," Sho added.

Ai pouted again. "And who’ll be my rescuer then?"

Kazunari smirked, "Self-reliance is the trick, young lady."

It was only then when he realized how much he himself must be like Princess Peach in real life and it felt bitter that he knew he should try to live up to his own advice more than Ai but it wasn’t the time to lament about this now. He chose the road for their first race on the colorful screen and the game started.

+-+-+

It quickly turned out that Jun – just according to Ai’s statement – really wasn’t a good cook and so Masaki was the one volunteering to make their meals usually. Hence, he also offered to be responsible for the Christmas/Birthday dinner the couple had planned for quite some time now. Nevertheless, Jun had insisted on at least helping and he was willing to learn. With that, Masaki allowed him to assist him with easy tasks and to prepare the salad. So while Masaki was cutting and seasoning some chicken fillets, the oil was already getting heated in the fry pan, his boyfriend prepared the dressing and started to set the table in the dining room.

When Masaki was finally frying the meat and Jun had finished his own preparations, the younger man started looking over his boyfriend’s shoulder, curiously. He made big eyes and watched each and every move of his boyfriend, marveling at his cooking skills as the other continued adding various seasonings to the meat and finally pouring some good wine into the fry pan, creating a fizzling noise. Masaki then turned off the heat and put a cover over the pan before he put everything into the oven to keep it warm during his next steps. He turned around to face Jun, his cheeks a bit sweaty from the cooking heat and announced proudly how long it would take now to finish the side dishes and the dessert. Jun smiled happily and reached out to brush a few strands of hair out of his lover’s forehead with his hand.

"It smells so delicious, I can’t wait," the young man said happily, seeing the cook flushing a bit over the praise.

"Wait for the dessert, it’s one of my specialties," Masaki said smirking and pecked Jun’s lips as he passed him to go to the refrigerator to get some stuff – vanilla cream that was prepared earlier and a cake base, as well as a big bowl filled with blueberries. "Blueberry-vanilla cream cakes in glasses.," he announced.

He put everything onto the kitchen counter, asking Jun to get the glasses and quickly checked the lemon grass risotto before devoting himself to his dessert again. Jun made some appreciating noises as he eyed the ingredients and handed his boyfriend the asked supplies. Masaki immediately started to cut the cake base into smaller pieces, building small towers of mixed layers of cake, cream and fruits in the glasses until he decorated the top of it with blueberries and a piece of mint.

"This looks great," the young designer smiled, reaching out his hand to dip his finger in the rest of the vanilla cream.

"No tasting before dessert time," Masaki scolded, laughing, hitting the back of Jun’s hand playfully, but nevertheless he let his boyfriend lick the cream from his fingers.

Challenging, the younger smirked as he got pulled into a slight embrace and he reached out again, behind Masaki’s back, half hugging him. The cook protested again but got muted quickly, because this time, Jun brought his fingers, covered in cream, up to his boyfriend’s face, touching the tip of his nose. Masaki stopped in his movement, irritated by the cold texture on his face and Jun chuckled amused as the other tried to reach his nose with his tongue, just to give up a second later and using his hand to help. He grumbled a bit but when Jun put his finger – still with a bit cream left on it – onto Masaki’s lips to make him shut up, he stopped complaining immediately. Encouraged by the slight brush of his boyfriend’s finger on his lips, he parted them and Jun slid his finger into Masaki’s mouth.

"You know…," the young man then admitted after he had finished licking Jun’s finger clean pleasurably. "I’d rather like to skip dinner and taste _you_ instead, Jun-kun."

Jun blushed nicely and went a step closer until he could lean his forehead against his boyfriend's. "I’ll give you just a little teaser for now since you said it yourself, no tasting before dessert time, right?" he whispered cheekily and then finally closed the distance between their mouths.

They shared a hot kiss, lips parted, breath against breath, still a little taste of vanilla on their tongues. Jun could feel Masaki’s warm hands on his hips, could feel how he let his fingers slip underneath his shirt, brushing his warm fingers against his sides. He sighed into the kiss, pressing his body closer to his boyfriend until their chests met. They were both so excited, it was so obvious. It was too hot in here, definitely, and it was definitely not just because of the cooking. Jun got a bit more nervous when he suddenly felt the growing bulge between their bodies, and he broke the kiss, pulling in some air, trying to slow down his racing heartbeat.

"Let’s continue later, Masaki-kun, the dinner-," Jun whispered, his voice a bit shaking.

"Dinner?" the older asked a bit irritated, as if he had completely forgotten about it, his hazy eyes lying on his boyfriend’s beautiful lips.

"It will burn."

"Oh my Gosh, the dinner!" Masaki exclaimed and swirled around quickly, letting go off the other and turning his attention onto the risotto. Fortunately, it wasn’t burned yet but it was almost ready, just like the chicken that might become too dry if they left it in the oven any longer.

Jun chuckled at the sudden panic and turned to the kitchen cupboard to grab some plates that he handed over to Masaki who started arranging the meat and the risotto on them. While the older was on that task, Jun took the salads and brought them to the dining room where the table was already set with everything else they needed, including a bottle of the best wine Masaki could find in Satoshi’s wine cellar and a few candles. The light was already turned off and the lighted candles spread a warm, romantic atmosphere which got enhanced with some nice music in the background. It was just perfect.

Putting down the plates, the two men finally settled down at the table, sitting at the edge so that they could be as close as possible to each other. They laughed and talked about whatever came to their minds while enjoying the salad and the main dish and they occasionally clinked glasses, idiotically almost before each sip they took, smiling like the two lovebirds they were. Jun praised Masaki’s excellent cooking skills while Masaki foolishly praised his boyfriend’s special salad dressing and his skills in cutting the vegetables to just the perfect size. The statement – even if he was sure that Masaki was serious about it – caused the young man to laugh and he almost choked on his wine because of that.

When the two locked eyes, flashing each other happy smiles, everything seemed to be perfect. Sometimes, they brushed their hands against each other, intertwining their fingers for a short while when they paused eating and sometimes, Masaki dropped his hand to caress Jun’s thigh. They still focused onto their dinner they had been looking forward to for so long, or at least tried to focus, the anticipation about what would follow later on was clearly readable in their eyes.

It was still unspoken between them but it was obvious that both of them had long waited for a chance to be all alone, without Masaki’s brothers, without Ai, even if they loved them and cherished the time they could spent with their family. But being just the two of them gave them an exciting and fresh feeling, something they barely shared due to the family types they were. It was thrilling to think about the house, all empty, just waiting to get filled by the laughter of the two of them only, to think about the bedroom upstairs they had only shared in the most innocent way so far in respect for Ai next door, to think about the bathtub in which they would be able to take a joined bath maybe, if they felt like it. Tonight, everything would be possible.

When they arrived at the dessert that Masaki had brought from the kitchen, Jun was already slightly tipsy from the wine. He wasn’t used to drink more than one or maximum two glasses usually, always considering the presence of his child and his responsibility not to lose control over anything in this house in order to guarantee her safety. But as time went by this evening, laughing, talking with his boyfriend, he had allowed himself to get carried away a little bit. It wasn’t too much but Jun could feel the slight lulling effect the wine had on him and it made him giggly and feeling warm inside, even if he was sure that in first place it was Masaki, who triggered this warm feeling.

The young man became a bit braver again, just like he had been before in the kitchen and as soon as Masaki had distributed the glasses with the blueberry cake, Jun dipped his long spoon into it, just to point it toward his boyfriend, his intentions were just too obvious. Masaki let escape another chuckle, the chuckle that Jun loved so much to hear, and enjoying dedicating himself to his boyfriend’s offer, letting him feed him. He giggled and Masaki thought that this was the cutest sound he had ever heard and he just couldn’t help himself but mirror Jun’s gesture, preparing a spoon full of cake and cream for his lover.

Pulling their chairs even closer, they continued feeding each other with the dessert, not only enjoying the taste but most likely the act itself even more. It didn’t take long until they started to spare the spoons and switched to using their fingers to distribute the delicious cream and their kisses soon spread the flavor. The desserts were only half finished when Masaki finally pulled Jun onto his lap, tilting his face up to meet his boyfriend’s lips halfway for a passionate kiss.

Having each other so close, the heat of their bodies mixing, their breath becoming one, they knew that it was finally time to move on, to take the next step. Jun stood up, earning a protesting sigh from Masaki as they parted but he would make up for this separation very soon. He switched on another light so that he could blow out the candles and when he reached out for Masaki’s hand, helping him stand up from his seat and his eyes just looked at him intensely, the older smiled at his boyfriend widely as he understood. Letting himself getting dragged out of the dining room, upstairs, a silent promise in the air, he just couldn’t stop smiling and lovingly pressed Jun’s hand in pure excitement, his heart almost bursting. 

**_TBC_ **


	11. The Truth

Masaki was still lying awake, partly, because he thought that the time he could spend here cuddling with his boyfriend was too precious to squander on sleep, partly because his thoughts kept him awake. A lot of things were bugging him. The possible approaching danger toward his family and friends or the question of when and especially _how_ he should finally tell Jun about his and his brothers’ real identity, especially now that their relationship had arrived at a new stage.

The young man sighed as he looked at the sleeping face of the man lying next to him and he let his fingers run through his slightly wavy, dark brown hair caringly. He crawled a bit closer toward the still naked man, feeling the radiating heat from his body spreading and giving him the warmest and most comfortable feeling that he ever experienced. Pulling the blanked a bit closer around them, it felt like he was shutting him and Jun out from this world, into their own little world that just the two of them shared. Masaki slightly brushed his lips against Jun's warm skin, his chin, his cheek, his eyelids. He let his hands slide over the young man’s well-built body, slowly pulling him into a hug and finally leaned his own forehead against his boyfriend’s, who seemed to be fast asleep.

Masaki didn’t want to keep secrets from Jun, betray him, the man he loved, but he also didn’t know if he could really tell him. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust him, actually, he trusted him more than he had ever trusted any other person outside of his family. He wasn’t afraid that Jun could expose him and his brothers or anything similar to that. In fact, he was just afraid that Jun would start to doubt their relationship and that he would retract himself and Ai from Masaki’s life. The most hurting part of this scenario wasn’t even the fact that Jun would leave him, but more that it would be the most understandable step to take in order to protect Ai and himself from any danger of being connected to the half-vampires. Yes, Masaki was afraid of losing Jun and Ai, he didn’t want that to happen and if possible, he wanted to stretch the time, delay the unavoidable just a little longer, even if he knew that it was selfish.

Jun slightly shifted in their embrace, causing the blanket to rustle and Masaki pulled back a little, witnessing his boyfriend opening his eyes a bit. The young man sighed sleepily before moving toward Masaki again, hugging him close and brushing their lips against each other.

"Masaki," he whispered, his eyes almost closed again from the heavy sleepiness that had overcome him. The other just hummed slightly to show him that he was listening before Jun continued. "I love you."

The half-vampire couldn’t prevent his lips from curling up into a happy smile, he felt the tips of his teeth slightly tugging at the skin of his lips and his heart was beating fast in his chest. He allowed himself once more to drown in the warm feeling of happiness that he felt when he was with Jun as he answered. "I love you too."

Jun moved his hand to slide it around his partner’s waist, as if he wanted to make sure that the other wouldn’t run away in the middle of the night and Masaki locked his arms around his boyfriend's neck, bedding his head on his arm, ghosting kisses on his forehead until the other finally fell back into dream land. Masaki’s heart cringed really painfully for the very first time since he got together with this gorgeous man, whom he now feared to lose more than ever.

-+-+-

Ai in the meantime had long fallen asleep when midnight was approaching but Kazunari, who wasn’t used to much sleep anyway, was too nervous to even think about pretending to go to sleep. Sho – whose presence undoubtedly was the reason for this nervousness - didn’t complain about being tired either and so, the two men had muted the television and continued gaming while the little girl curled up in Kazunari’s blanket on top of his bed. Sho cursed silently when his car crashed into a fence and his Donkey Kong made an involuntarily back flip, throwing him back to the latter ranks. Kazunari glimpsed at his guest out of the corner of his eye, after he had passed the finish line, winning the nth game in a row, wondering how he could still win with the little concentration he was holding. Despite his continuing failures, Sho sighed, shaking his head slightly, and smiled.

"Ne, Sho-san… Why is it that you’re meeting up with me so often?" Kazunari suddenly asked out of the blue. He wasn't sure where this sudden courage came from and his heart almost sank into his stomach when he turned the other's attention to him immediately. "I mean... Playing games, going out and such…"

"I… want to get to know you better," Sho said frankly as he turned to face him.

"I’m not particularly interesting, am I? I’m not sociable, I’m complicated, I-," the younger protested but got interrupted by the young doctor quickly.

"Well, _I_ think you’re very interesting."

"I'm not –"

"For _me_ you _are_ interesting. I like spending time with you. And… Don't you feel this attraction between us? _I_ can feel it clearly. We're somehow linked to each other, don't you think so too?" Sho asked finally, the look in this eyes serious but filled with so much warmth.

"What -," Kazunari blushed and almost dropped his controller, trying to cover up his reaction but failed. Was it sheer coincidence that Sho was speaking out loud exactly the thoughts that were bugging him since the very first day they met, some weeks ago? This all sounded too good to be true and he still didn't really catch its meaning. "What's that, some kind of proposal?" the young half-vampire tried to joke for once, looking at Sho but his faked smirk quickly disappeared when he saw the other man's earnest look.

"You’re not normal, are you?" Sho suddenly chimed in.

"Alright, I guess, this is _not_ a proposal," Kazunari murmured at what sounded like an insult to his ears and put down his controller eventually as his hands started shaking slightly. He was getting more nervous. Much more nervous than before. Did Sho find him _that_ abnormal? But didn't he say he found him _interesting_? Or... could it be possible that he had found out about his true nature?

"I mean, not normal in the sense of _unusual_ , nothing negative," Sho said immediately, at the smashed look of his friend. "But you're definitely _special_ and I want you to tell me about it. It's quite obvious to me anyway, you know? First of all, you never eat when we meet. Never, not a slightest bit, just the one time when I made lunch for you and you fell sick from it when you were too polite to decline it."

"I'm still sorry for that," Kazunari said, embarrassed not only about the situation back then but also embarrassed for the fact that he was not able to hide his abnormality from the other. His brothers would scold him for that.

"Well, it's not your fault… I’m sorry that you couldn’t eat what I made for you. You shouldn’t have forced yourself to eat it if you’re allergic to something," the doctor said, scratching his neck.

"I… I wanted to give it a try at least so that you didn’t make it for nothing," Kazunari admitted, surprised about his own honestly. "You were so nice in making it specially for me with so much thoughts."

"I really appreciate your thoughts but it’s for no good if you get sick from it. I have to admit, I was happy that you tried my food. I just wonder, _what_ you are eating usually, I mean… you _have_ to eat _something_ to stay alive, don’t you?" Sho asked further, as if he was waiting for the big disclosure of a haunting mystery. Well, Kazunari assumed that for outsiders of the family he really must be a mystery. "And there’s even more. You never go outside when the sun is shining. I only meet you when it’s cloudy or rainy. That’s strange. Then, your pills, why exactly are they? I never saw such pills and I'm a _doctor_."

Kazunari sighed deeply. He wasn’t sure if he should share his secret with the other. He was dying to tell him, it would make things so much easier and it would be really nice to share the truth with someone else than his family. Satoshi told Yui too and he even encouraged Masaki to tell Jun about their real identity. So would it be OK to tell Sho too? But what kind of connection did they have? Were they friends? More? And was it enough for Sho not to run away and to keep the secret of Kazunari and his brothers?

The young man lowered his voice, darting a quick look towards his bed where Ai was sound asleep. He sighed, looking back at Sho. "You wouldn’t believe it anyway, if I told you." 

"Give me a chance," Sho looked at him, sincerely. "You'd be surprised how much I can bring myself to believe."

Kazunari sighed, scratching his head. Should he take the risk? He was hesitating but what’s the worst that could happen? Sho could laugh at him and tell him that he wouldn’t believe him. Then, Kazunari just needed to wave it off as a joke, hoping that Sho wouldn’t ask any further. Yeah, that sounded like a plan. The young man came a bit closer, leaning toward Sho in order to whisper into his ear. 

"You have to promise me that you won’t tell this to anyone. You understand? _Anyone_."

"What, is it something embarrassing?" Sho chuckled jokingly and Kazunari shot him a not amused look. The doctor cleared his throat and his grin vanished. "I’m sorry. I’m serious. I promise not to tell anyone."

"Can I really trust you?" Kazunari asked seriously.

"You can," Sho nodded and Kazunari believed him, there was pure honesty talking through the doctor’s eyes.

"OK…," Kazunari shifted and took a deep breath, trying to calm his raising heartbeat. He was nervous. So it was all or nothing. "So… I’m something like... a vampire." 

A short pause followed and Kazunari’s heart was suddenly beating faster than he ever thought it could be possible. Would Sho laugh at him and not take him seriously at all, call him crazy now, not considering for a second that he might be telling the truth? Or would he actually believe him, jump up and run away, screaming?

But nothing like that happened. The doctor just looked at him and after a few seconds of silence, his lips curled up into another smile. Kazunari felt a load off his mind, even if this reaction left him puzzled. However, this was far better than a panicking man in his room right now.

"You’re an _anemic_ vampire, aren't you?" Sho asked, trying to keep his voice low.

This comment startled Kazunari even more and he blinked at the other for a while, Sho then lifting his eyebrows again to enforce the question mark of his assumption. And well, that description fit pretty well, Kazunari thought.

"Uhm, you could say so, I guess?” he started slowly, still surprised about Sho's maybe a bit too calm reaction. “I’m a _half_ vampire to be exact and you see, my body... is kind of unusual – yes, even for the standard of a half-vampire - and pretty useless as you might have found out already. Unlike my brothers, I can't eat. Not that this is actually a problem, I don't need food... I need _blood_ to survive, though, but I can’t even really drink it because my stomach doesn’t like it." 

“So you aren't only allergic to food... but also to blood?” the young doctor asked, frowning.

Kazunari nodded slowly.

"Oh wow... that sounds pretty hard... and kind of ironic, isn't it?" Sho nodded, understanding, a highly interested expression still adorning his face. Then, there was just silence between the two men.

The flashing light from the TV screen drew patterns on Sho’s skin, as Kazunari looked at his friend, completely confused. "Is... is that everything you have to say about this?" 

"Well…" 

"I mean, you _believe_ it just like that? And... you aren’t scared or something?" Kazunari asked, his heart still pounding. Not that he _wanted_ the other to be scared and run away but…

"Scared of an anemic vampire who isn’t compatible with blood?" Sho then simply asked back.

"…," Kazunari just could gape at him without being able to answer immediately. That comment was so true, it was shattering. He felt mocked, biting his lower lip. "Your point…"

"Ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it in a bad way," Sho, who immediately tried to backpedal, realized that he must have hit a weak spot of the other, judging from the devastated look on the young man’s face. "You know, I already felt like something was behind all this and I came up with the wildest theories so... I'm not that much surprised. And I guess, even if you _could_ you wouldn’t kill me, right?" Sho reached out his hand so that his and Kazunari’s fingers could touch slightly. "I trust you."

Kazunari looked down at their hands, cringing slightly from the surprising touch but he didn’t pull his hand away. He blushed. His heart was beating faster. Sho believed him. He actually _believed_ him and he wasn't scared or anything. Was this insane or lucky?

"So those pills you’re taking…" 

Kazunari looked up again, trying to ignore the nice warm feeling that was spreading from Sho’s slight touch. Well, a few more explanations might be helpful maybe, true. "Yes, that’s why I take those pills, they are some kind of substitute. It’s not as good as real blood but at least I can swallow them and that's better than nothing." 

"But you tend to forget to take them? That’s why you collapse sometimes," Sho concluded. He had already been a witness of that after all.

"Well, yeah…," Kazunari tilted his head, embarrassed. 

"You should really take better care of yourself!" Sho scolded the other, giving him his _I’m a doctor and you have to listen to my advice_ face.

"I know…" 

They sat there next to each other for a while, their hands still slightly brushing against each other but nothing else happening. Sho did not seem to have the intention of moving away and Kazunari had to admit that he didn’t want the other to do so anyway. It felt nice. Really nice and if he was just a little braver, maybe he would let his fingers wander just a little further to take Sho’s hand in his.

"And your brothers?"

"Huh? Ah... they are half-vampires too, we share our father. Oh, but don’t worry, they will not suck anybody’s blood without asking for permission first!" Kazunari explained hurriedly, not wanting to put any bad image onto his brothers.

Sho chuckled silently, maybe not sure himself if from shock or amusement. "Asking for permission… well, that’s nice, I’m sure not all vampires are as polite as your brothers. I guess, people don’t need to be afraid of them either then. Even if I have to say, Aiba-san’s teeth are pretty impressive... Ah!" he suddenly leaned closer and Kazunari got even more nervous. "Show me _your_ teeth -" 

"Are you crazy?!" the younger turned his head and lifted his hand to slightly push the doctor away.

"I’m curious, that’s all. I want to know everything about you, I want to be there for you," Sho answered sincerely, earning a stunned look.

"…Why?"

"Because we're meant for each other and I like you, Kazunari-kun," the doctor smiled. "I like you a lot."

Kazunari’s heart was missing a beat. _Meant for each other_ \- maybe they really were. He hoped so. Sho’s reaction was more Kazunari had ever dared to hope for. He trusted the other that he wouldn’t tell his secret to anybody and more than that, Sho wasn’t scared or disgusted, he was just even more curious about Kazunari than before. Not that the younger minded. It felt good to have someone being interested in you. Really good. And it made him ridiculously happy that this person was Sho, the one he was interested in, too.

A bit shyly, Kazunari finally showed his teeth to the young doctor, abiding his wish, who inspected them with great interest in the dim light. He even showed him how he was able to let them grow into _real_ vampire teeth and to make them shape into _normal_ human teeth again, even if he never used this "feature" of his body since he never sucked blood from humans or animals. Sho was truly fascinated and kept on touching Kazunari’s teeth carefully as well as doing some short version of body check, including checking the younger’s pulse, the reaction of his pupils and whatnot that came up his mind. He kept asking question after question. Kazunari felt like he was undergoing a real doctor’s examination.

"I hope now, your interest in me isn’t only limited to my physical abnormality," the young man finally sighed.

"Of course not, but this is part of you and I have to admit, it’s really fascinating. After all, I never saw a vampire up close before! And it's _you_ who is fascinating anyway, for so many reasons," Sho smiled and finally let go of the other. "If I can do anything to help you, no matter what it is, let me know, will you?" he let the hand he just had used to check Kazunari’s skin, brush over the younger’s cheek again in a caring gesture. "As I said, I want to support you. Let me be your support, please."

"Are you asking me this from a doctor’s point of view or are you asking me to date you?" the younger chuckled, trying to hide his nervousness over the question that he couldn't help but ask.

"Count it as the latter," Sho said with the most beautiful smile Kazunari had ever seen and reached out for his hand, this time not to measure his pulse but to really intertwine his fingers with the younger’s. Their hands matched perfectly and still, Sho didn’t avert his eyes.

Kazunari wanted to believe him, even if he was still insecure, and for the at least third time this evening, his heart threatened to make his chest explode.

"Do you like me enough to stay with me even if your life might be in danger?" Kazunari then asked seriously. He _had_ to ask this after all.

"Nothing can keep me away from you. You’re not a danger to me and I bet, your brothers won’t harm me either, right?" Sho asked and lifted his free hand to stroke Kazunari’s cheek who blushed deeply from the caring touch.

"No, but… to speak frankly, there’s a group of _real_ vampires tracking us lately. We don’t know exactly what they are aiming for but people close to us could be in danger. There are a few measurements we can take for protection but there’s no guarantee that nothing bad will happen… I – I just don’t want you to get hurt."

Sho looked at the other for a few seconds but his answer didn’t take long. "I guess, if I want to be with you, I’ll have to take the risk, right?" the doctor smiled lovingly, not a single hint of fear in his gaze as he looked deep into Kazunari’s eyes.

The younger gave him a critical look. "Don’t get me wrong but I’m not sure if you are really getting this whole _vampire thing_ , I’m not joking, you know? It’s _dangerous_."

"I know and I believe your every single word. Why should you lie to me?"

"You’re really not scared?” Kazunari asked in disbelief. “You’re _really_ something special."

"Well, maybe I _need_ to be special somehow too, to win over the heart of someone as special as _you_?" the flirting smirk on Sho’s lips made Kazunari blush sheepishly, his heart beating wildly in his chest. If Sho knew that he had already won his heart quite some time ago...

Sho then leaned forward, closing the distance between his and Kazunari’s face and as the younger realized the other man's intention, he finally freaked out from the still increasing nervousness. He quickly stood up and left Sho - leaning forward to the place where he was still sitting just a moment ago – behind. Sho sighed silently at the missed chance. Kazunari would feel sorry for the other but this was just too much, too early, he wasn’t ready, he wasn’t prepared for this yet. He was shy after all, damn it! Sho tried to adjust to the sudden rejection, he tried to not look too stunned or hurt – he shouldn’t even be that surprised by that shy reaction anyway. Clearing his throat he made a slightly awkward looking move backwards.

Hurriedly, Kazunari went toward his desk, opening one of the drawers, searching for something. His heart was still beating like crazy and his hands were shaking. But it wasn’t even an excuse – even if he just obviously fled like a coward from something that… yeah what could have possibly become his first kiss?! – he really searched for what he intended to give Sho this evening. When he finally found the small box, he turned around again, tugging at the ribbon with his fingers, his look glued on it instead Sho.

"I still haven’t given you your present," he said in a shy voice, looking up just for a moment to gaze at the other man.

Sho looked at him in surprise. After receiving a Christmas card from Kazunari earlier, he didn’t expect more than that. He smiled. "You have a present for me? I would have bet, you’d be too shy."

"I _am_ but I’m making an exception for you," the young man said, highly embarrassed. "And it’s important that you get it. It’s not only a present, it is also supposed to protect you from the guys I told you about, at least for a little bit." Finally, he went back to his guest and sat down onto the floor again, taking his former spot before he handed the present to Sho who took it gladly, his eyes shining. "It’s nothing special though, Ai, Jun and Yui have the same ones, Satoshi and Masaki got them for all of you."

Curiously, Sho opened the small box, revealing the very same crucifix that the others were wearing. He even recognized it as he had seen it around Ai’s neck once. He smiled wider and took it in his hand, devoutly. "I’m happy with whatever you give me and I feel flattered that you want me to be protected," the doctor said and immediately put the necklace around his neck. "It’s beautiful, thank you!"

“It... suits you...,” Kazunari said, before he sighed with a mixture of relief and sorrow. "I just hope you won’t regret this."

"I won’t, I promise."

Again, Sho reached out his hand to pull Kazunari closer. He brushed Kazunari’s black, disheveled bangs out of his face and placed a small kiss on his forehead, making the other blush sheepishly. He smiled to himself witnessing the young man’s reaction. He grabbed his hand and this time, Kazunari answered the slight pressure with his own fingers, clasping around Sho’s with a mixture of embarrassment, need and affection.

+++++

For Yui, it had been a nice change from her daily life to spend some time with her relatives in Osaka. Thankfully, her aunt had welcomed her with open arms, just as the young woman had hoped and also Tadayoshi's father was overly happy to see his niece after such a long time. They spent a few nice days, talking about old times, or about work. Yui shared some stories from her job as a nurse in the local hospital, while Tadayoshi told her funny stuff from his work as a mobile electrician reparation unit, as he called himself and the small group of co-workers with him, including some childhood friends that Yui used to know too. They were going for walks outside when it wasn't too cold and setting up the house for a small Christmas celebration.

Once, Tadayoshi took a whole day off from work, to show his cousin around, revisiting some nice sightseeing spots in Osaka that she had almost forgotten from her childhood days with her. They made sure that they would be back in the house before the nightfall, just like the girl had insisted on (according to Satoshi's safety instructions). The other day, Yui went shopping for clothes together with her aunt and even found a few nice dresses (and a really nice set of sexy underwear) that she couldn't wait to show Satoshi – once they might be back together, finally.

It was the evening of Christmas when Yui became a bit careless, maybe because she was feeling too safe in the company of her family. This evening, she forgot to wear a scarf and was also wearing a pullover with a quite broad collar. Without thinking, she was pretty much exposing her neck and collarbones. She had reached back to tie up her hair so that it wouldn't fall into the ramen Tadayoshi's mother had offered them and it was then, when her cousin's look fell on something on Yui's neck that he shouldn’t have seen.

When Yui realized how Tadayoshi was staring at her, even if it was just for a moment, she quickly lifted her hand, pretending to scratch her neck but actually covering the two small red marks there, healing but still clearly visible and she wondered how much her cousin could connect those marks to what they actually were. Just to be on the safe side, she pretended to clear her throat and excused herself for a minute to get herself one of her scarves, murmuring something about a possible cold. Tadayoshi still eyed her suspiciously from the side and Yui quickly averted her eyes.

After dinner, when his parents went to bed early after watching a movie with the youngers and Yui started to prepare herself for going to bed too, Tadayoshi didn't show any intentions of leaving the living room soon. Instead, he was slouching on the kotatsu, his feet folded underneath the thick blanket, to keep warm while zapping through the channels. He hasn't really decided on a specific program until an old black and white US-american horror movie flickered over the screen. He put the receiver down on the table after turning down the volume a little. Yui knew the movie, of course, as she had watched "Dracula" years ago and if her memory didn’t betray her, it was only half through with the story, according to the current scene. Sligthly nervous, she wondered if this was just coincidence or Tadayoshi was silently confronting her. When her cousin after a few minutes started more to observe the young woman’s reaction to the movie than the actual movie itself, she knew that she was caught.

"Uhm…," she started, shifting a bit nervously. She had no idea how Tadayoshi would further react and deal with this matter. "I don’t want to be impolite, Tacchon and I know this is your house but shouldn’t we go to bed soon?"

Her cousin tilted his head, his eyes still darted at her and then he patted onto the cushion next to him inviting her to settle next to him. The young woman hesitated a little and sighed but then actually gave in and approached the young man.

"Ya’re not scared of the movie?" he asked almost casually after a few minutes of watching it together.

Yui shook her head and tried to make herself comfortable, bedding her chin on her crossed arms on top of the kotatsu. Nevertheless, she felt awfully stiff.

"Were did ya get those marks on ya neck from, Yui-chan?" Tadayoshi continued asking, calmly. "Does it have somethin’ to do with ya bein’ here?"

Again, she shook her head but went back into an upright position. She leaned toward her cousin, looking him straight into his eyes. He just looked back, waiting for more to come and then, Yui raised her hand, making a fist before she let out her pinky, gesturing it toward Tacchon.

"You have to swear that you will never ever tell anybody about what I'm going to tell you now," she said in a very strict voice, her eyebrows knitted and her lips slightly pursed.

Her cousin chuckled as he recognized the gesture they often used as kids, a gesture that had closely bound them so often. "Why so serious suddenly, Yui-chan?"

But Yui wasn't in the mood for joking. "That's _really_ important, don't misuse my trust!"

Tadayoshi sighed, looking at her pinky, then back into her eyes. Yui was still staring at him earnestly and he nodded. "Ya know that I'd never misuse yar trust," he then said and reached out his own pinky to hook fingers with his cousin, sealing their promise.

Yui then took a deep breath. She knew that she wasn't supposed to spill out what she was about to say but she also knew that she could trust Tadayoshi and she would apologize properly to Satoshi when they met again. She was sure that he would understand her and he would trust her cousin just like she did.

"My boyfriend… does this to me," the young woman finally admitted in a low voice, her hand unconsciously lifting up to touch the respective part of her skin, at the thought of Satoshi and the longing for him burning in her heart.

"Ya _boyfriend_ ’s a _vampire_? Seriously?" he asked, shooting a disbelieving look.

Yui just looked back, she didn’t know how to answer to that question, honestly, she didn’t even know what she should think about the fact that her cousin just assumed that her boyfriend was that kind of creature, without any hesitation. She was surprised and she immediately realized that there was a lot more unknown between her and her cousin than only a few months of not chatting about their current jobs and stuff like that. Vampires – it wasn’t exactly something, most people knew about. They were hidden, away from mainstream, and they could make people forget things if they wanted. It was most unlikely to know anything about them without a certain connection, in one way or another. But like this, she at least could be completely sure now, that her cousin stopped on the Dracula movie for purpose.

Tadayoshi reached his hand to place it on her arm and they looked at each other, earnestly. He parted his lips. "Did ya run away from him?"

Yui looked at him, her eyes wide, readjusting her position and immediately, she protested strongly. "No, no, I didn’t run away from him, he sent me here to keep me safe. He will never _hurt_ me or anything, Tacchon."

"Ya sure? I mean… he’s a _vampire_ , Yui-chan, that’s really _dangerous_! Are you under his spell?" her cousin asked, concerned.

"No," the young woman shook her head again. "We sincerely love each other, really. And he’s not a threat to me, he would never be. He loves me and besides that, he isn’t even a _real_ vampire."

Tadayoshi frowned. "What do ya mean, not a real vampire?"

Yui pulled her hand up to her lips, the guilt of not having paid enough attention and exposing her boyfriend’s secret weigh heavily on her heart. She didn’t intend to tell her cousin _everything_ but now that it was out, she didn’t want Tadayoshi to have a bad picture of Satoshi, of the man she loved, vampire or not.

"He’s a half-vampire," she finally said after hesitating for a bit and her cousin frowned again.

"A _half_ -vampire?! No kiddin’? They exist fa real?"

"He’s not a bad person, really. He drinks my blood, yes, but I wanted it myself and even if he needs it to stay alive, he doesn’t feel the same urge to _kill_ like other vampires usually do so no need to worry. He doesn't need that much and he would never lose control. He would never hurt me," she continued, slightly panicking before she spilled out even more. "There are vampires in our hometown and they seem to be threatening him and his brothers and he sent me here because he didn’t want anything bad happening to me, that’s how much I mean to him, you see? Argh... I shouldn't have told you..."

Tadayoshi looked at her, the horror and sincere worry about his relative in his eyes was fading away slowly and being replaced by understanding, even if still mixed with a certain amount of skepticism.

"How is it that you _know_ about vampires anyway?" Yui finally asked the question which was torturing her the most right now. "People wouldn’t just guess right out of the blue with something like that. Are you connected in some way?" Maybe, she thought, maybe he shared a similar destiny like she did, being in love with a creature of the night. Well, _half_ creature of the night in her case.

He sighed and scratched his neck before he joined his hands again in front of him, playing with his fingers. "Yui-chan, to be honest, I’ve been lyin’ to ya about my job."

The young woman looked at her cousin, puzzled.

+-+-+

Of course, Kazunari couldn’t sleep. Not only he wasn’t used to sleeping – barely needed to do so and so most of the time he used his nights for gaming – lying in the same room with Sho (and Ai) didn’t make it easier for him to sleep either, not at all. He had climbed into his own bed which he was sharing with the little girl for the night who had immediately cuddled up to him as soon as she felt Kazunari’s presence right next to her. Sho had taken the futon which they had unfolded on the floor next to the bed. The two men had continued with talking for a few more minutes and then, the doctor had finally fallen asleep, leaving Kazunari alone in the dark with his two sleeping guests.

He brushed over Ai’s hair caressingly, sighed and closed his eyes, wishing he would enjoy sleeping as much as Satoshi did. But as it was for him, he just could wait and see if his mind would slip into sleep or not. It was probably pretty impossible anyway, especially tonight, with his thoughts still at the conversation he had held with Sho earlier. There was still this nervousness, this excitement about them getting closer and the overwhelming joy Kazunari had felt as the other had openly admitted that he liked him and wouldn’t even turn his back on him despite the difficulties and danger that might come up. Remembering Sho’s nice words and the warm touch of his hand made Kazunari’s heart beat faster again. Yeah, how was he supposed to sleep like this?

Then suddenly, the young half-vampire heard a noise from outside his room and his senses fully awake, he snapped his eyes open again, staring into the darkness. That must have come from the kitchen. Did Masaki come back from his date with Jun? Hopefully, nothing went wrong between the two of them, Kazunari wished. He didn’t expect his brother back before tomorrow morning or midday. Maybe, it was just Satoshi, still awake and still hungry, grabbing a midnight snack, like he sometimes did. However, when Kazunari waited, listening for the footsteps of his brother returning upstairs to his room that he might have missed before when he went down, they didn’t come and the noises from the kitchen continued. Something seemed off…

Finally, Kazunari couldn’t ignore this bad feeling any longer. What if there were unwelcomed trespassers? Burglars or even worse, vampires? No, the latter wasn’t possible, _real_ vampires couldn’t pass the threshold of a stranger’s house if they weren’t invited, but nevertheless, maybe it was better to check, just in case. Slowly, he got up, freeing himself carefully from Ai’s tight hug and putting his bare feet on the ground.

Sho shuffled under the blanket of the futon right in front of him and he could hear the man taking a deep breath before he murmured sleepily, "Kazunari-kun? Is everything OK?"

"Yeah yeah, don’t worry, I’m just… going to get a glass of water. Stay here and watch over Ai-chan, will you?" the half-vampire said in a low voice, knowing that Sho might expose his lousy lie.

"Watch over her? Is everything really OK?"

The doctor reached out his hand blindly to find Kazunari’s hand, most likely surprised by himself that he found his wrist in the dark almost immediately after grabbing just air once. The touch of Sho’s fingers almost burned Kazunari, letting the excitement he felt with the other raged up inside of him again. He suppressed the urge of letting himself being dragged down onto the futon and cleared his throat as he let his wrist slide through the other man’s fingers after hesitating a moment. It couldn't be helped. He had to go. He had to check on what was going on out there and if there was any danger, he had to do everything to protect Sho and Ai, even if he wasn't sure if he would be able to even protect himself...

"No matter what you hear, stay with her. I’ll be back as soon as possible," Kazunari said in a serious tone as he continued walking through the dark toward his bedroom door.

He opened it in a slow and soundless movement and slipped out of the room. After a few steps through the dark corridor, he heard something from the top of the stairs and when he turned around to look up, he spotted Satoshi, looking down from above. They locked eyes shortly and when Kazunari pointed to the kitchen, his brother just shrugged his shoulders. He came down, trying to avoid making any sound and the two met at the end of the stairs.

"There’s someone in our kitchen," Kazunari whispered voicelessly. "Who can it be?"

Again, his brother shrugged his shoulders. "Do you have a weapon? Just in case…" When Kazunari shook his head, slightly panicking, Satoshi pointed at something he was carrying – a baseball bat. "Don’t worry. Stay behind me and if it gets dangerous, just run away, OK?"

Kazunari nodded and together, they approached the kitchen, slowly, without making any sound, the younger man hidden behind his brother, just as the other had advised. They walked through the living room and since this room and the kitchen were connected without any door, they could already see the small light coming from the obviously opened fridge and hear the noises of someone rummaging through it, as if that person was searching for something.

When they slowly poked their heads inside the kitchen, Satoshi armed with his baseball bat, they spotted a creature in black clothes bent over the lower drawers of the fridge, pulling out the diverse foodstuffs that Masaki had put into boxes to store properly, some fresh vegetables and whatever else could be found there.

"Nothing drinkable in this house… this is helpless," the creature murmured.

When Kazunari let out a short cry of surprise, the black dressed man turned around quickly, facing the house’ residents.

_**TBC** _


	12. Heavy Hearts

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?!" Kazunari exclaimed shocked at the sight of the person looking at him right now.

The intruder, a man - his skin pale, almost as white as snow - was dressed all in black, which made him appear even more transparent than he would without. It was obvious what the true nature of that man was. 

He was a vampire. 

Feeling somehow transparent but present at the same time as his deep dark eyes looked at the young man with a deep understanding, an acknowledgment, and acceptance. His aura felt strong, mighty, but familiar and thus, it brushed away all the fear and worries Kazunari and Satoshi had felt just a few minutes ago, within a second. The well-formed lips, not too plum, not too thin but definitely resembling both of the younger men in one or another way, finally broke into a charming smile, flashing it at Kazunari and his brother. The younger almost stumbled backwards a little from the sudden change of mood. The man flung back the dark coat he was wearing, opening his arms in a welcoming gesture as he turned to face the two men standing at the entrance to the kitchen and he tilted his head a little before he finally spoke.

"Oh, boys! How good to see you!" the man’s comfortable voice rambled. "Merry Christmas!"

Kazunari cringed at that voice. One that he hadn’t heard for years and he cleared this throat before he started to form an answer, barking out the words as if they were stuck in his throat. "Holy Fuck! Dad! Couldn't you… ring the doorbell or something, like... every normal person?"

"Nice to see you too," the man said, not sounding the tiniest bit surprised over this unfriendly reaction. He was still smiling, darting a finger at the young man to emphasize his following statement. "Our family is far from normal, my dear Kazu-chan, and you know that best."

His son sighed heavily. "That's not what I meant... who let you in anyway?"

"I don’t need to get let in, I’m your father! I’m welcome to this house that I bought by myself for  
you guys, may I remind you, plus - I have the keys," the vampire said proudly, almost amused, his lips curling into a familiar smirk as he rummaged in his pockets for something, just to demonstrate, a small set of keys.

Kazunari turned to his brother, who was still standing next to him, not moving an inch and it was just then when he realize that the older brother didn’t even look surprised at all. The younger frowned before his look turned even more unamused than before.

"Satoshi, did _you_ give him a set of keys?!"

Satoshi patted Kazunari’s shoulder and gave him a lazy smile. "Kazu, like he said, he’s our father and he bought this house for us, of course he has the keys…"

"I’m hurt, Kazu-chan," the vampire pouted and went a few steps closer to his sons. He reached out his hand to ruffle his youngest’s hair. "How long was it that we saw each other, more than five years? And this is how you welcome your old father?"

"Who instead of greeting us first goes ransacking our kitchen and almost freaking us out?! What are you searching for anyway?" Kazunari grumped, taking a step back and reaching up to his hair to ruffle it back again, annoyed by his father’s action.

"I hoped, you guys might have some blood conserves here… I’m thirsty."

"We have some in the cellar, wait a minute," Satoshi said and walked away to get some, leaving Kazunari behind, stunned.

"Sato-nii!" 

The younger couldn’t believe that his older brother was acting so nonchalantly about this matter. Wasn’t he surprised at all by the sudden return of the man? Didn’t he want to ask him questions, where he had been, why he was showing up here so suddenly? Kazunari was pretty sure that it wasn’t just for the purpose of a bloody drink.

"That’s my son!" the vampire said, grinning happily before he finally closed the fridge’s door and took a few steps closer to Kazunari again. "And now, let me take a look at you, Kazu-chan. You don’t look a single day older!"

His son gave him an annoyed look, feeling mocked. "Yes, because of your damned genes, I’m stuck as forever seventeen, thanks."

"Normal people would _kill_ for looking as young as you do, you know?" his father grinned and as he reached his hand again to tousle his son’s hair, Kazunari ducked in time to escape.

"Our family is far from normal, isn’t it?" he shot back, crossing his arms.

"Tartly like always. I missed you, little grump."

"Can’t say the same about you."

"Kazu, stop talking so rudely to our father," Satoshi said, he came back just that moment, nudging his brother’s side. "Did you forget what he did for you when he developed those blood pills together with Kimura-sensei for your sake?"

"He should have just let me died, the side effects during the trial period almost killed me anyway," Kazunari continued stubbornly but his brother just shot him a serious look.

"Stop that, Kazu," he said, his voice dry. Just like Kazunari must have wanted to forget that time of his life, Satoshi wanted to forget it too. They got over it, his brother was still alive, and that was all that mattered to him and Masaki.

"And whose fault is it that I even _need_ those pills?" the younger brother argued further. "He knew about the risk of setting a useless freak into this world when he slept with a human woman!"

"Seriously, stop that now, Kazunari," Satoshi answered, this time in a sharper, warning tone. "I mean it, I won’t discuss your existence problem all over again now, we’re through with that, and you’re doing pretty well lately, aren’t you? You even made some friends!" the older answered, looking at his brother strictly before he turned to the kitchen’s cupboard to get a glass to pour in one of the blood conserves he had brought from stocks for his father.

"Stop fighting, kids, please," the vampire said as he took the glass with a thankful nod. Looking at how the two brothers exchanged glares and how Kazunari avoided Satoshi's look shortly after in defeat, showing him that his interference wasn't necessary.

"I called him so please pull yourself together, he's our guest," the older brother begged Kazunari.

"You _called_ him?!" the younger couldn't believe it. "Why for god's sake did you call him?!"

"I wanted him to help us?!" Satoshi replied. "It's not like we have a real chance against those vampires just being how we are if they really attack us. We need him!"

Suddenly, someone - clearing his throat - showed up behind Kazunari, who had still been facing the entrance of the kitchen with his back. Sho slowly peaked in his head, a bunch of long black hair falling over his shoulder. He had Ai with him, still fast asleep. He was carrying her piggy back style and when Kazunari realized that, he pulled in the air sharply. Not only hadn't he counted on Sho being here right now when he told him to stay in his room, he was even more surprised that he had brought the girl with him. He wasn't sure if this was a wise decision or a stupid one, what would happen if the intruder weren’t just a relative but an enemy?

"Sho-san, what are you doing here?" Kazunari whispered, getting closer and trying to slightly push the two out of the room again. But Sho was persistent, staring at the newcomer who was nonchalantly taking another sip from his glass filled with red liquid.

"Who’s that," Sho asked, his face turning a bit pale. "Is he a vampire too?"

Satoshi gaped at their guest at the voiced suspicion. Did they get found out?! But then, he quickly caught up and darted his look at his little brother, who just sighed, a red blush on his cheeks.

"Yes, I told him everything. I… trust him," he said sheepishly before he stepped right next to Sho, taking the sleeping girl from his shoulders to carry her himself in front of his chest instead. "I told you to wait in my room, what are you doing here? With her?" he asked, whispering.

Sho whispered back. "I heard you screaming. I was worried. Then I heard the argument. I figured it couldn’t be so dangerous since it sounded more like a family quarrel but I wanted to check and I didn’t want to leave her behind alone."

"A family quarrel… well, yeah… It’s OK, don’t worry, everything’s fine," Kazunari answered, enjoying the warm feeling spreading in his chest at the thought that Sho had been worried about him. He brushed his hands slightly over Ai’s soft black hair. The girl still didn’t seem to wake up and he wondered, how exhausted she must be if she could just sleep throughout all the conversation and noises which had occurred in this house tonight. 

The entirely dressed in black vampire finally came a few steps closer, maybe confused by Kazunari’s sudden change of focus, and stopped just right before the small group, smiling friendlily at Sho. The tips of his canine teeth were showing as if he wanted to answer the man's question from before – or scare him.

"My name is Okada Junichi. I’m the father of this bunch," the man gestured at the brothers and then offered his hand for a handshake toward Sho. "So since I assume you know the details already, yes, I’m a vampire. And you are...?"

The doctor hesitated for a moment but then, he reached out his hand and shook the one from the vampire with a firm grip, to be polite but also to make clear, that he wasn’t afraid. He wasn't that much surprised by the cold feeling from the limb, Kazunari's hands were cold too, most likely one of the vampire trades. The latter by the way was still stunned, still not sure if Sho was really that brave to nonchalantly shake hands with a _real_ vampire, or if he just really not fully realizing the whole thing and the possible danger coming with it... Or if he simply was a lunatic.

"Sakurai Sho, nice to meet you," the doctor finally announced. "I’m a pediatrician from the neighborhood and I -," he turned and locked eyes with Kazunari for a moment before he continued, making a decision for the younger, but still leaving him space to back off, "I am Kazunari’s partner, right?"

The young half-vampire dropped his look and hid his face behind Ai’s sleeping body. However, Sho could hear a murmured confirmation, his lips curling up in a happy, slightly foolish smile, before he bit his bottom lip, which made him look like a cute young boy pleased with his success.

"So shy suddenly, Kazu-chan, what a surprise. And an honorable doctor is my youngest’s partner, how nice, good catch, son," the vampire chuckled and Sho wasn’t sure if the man meant it or if he was even taken seriously. Okada chuckled again, leaning back his head and then he pulled in some air, sighing, before he focused onto the other again. "You're something really special, aren't you? I can smell it in your blood… You smell really good, by the way, Sensei."

"Dad!" Kazunari hissed, darting evil eyes at his father.

"Sorry, I know, he’s yours," the man stepped back, his hands lifted in resignation, smirking and his son blushed deeply, obviously embarrassed by his father’s reaction and the whole situation. "Anyway, who's that cute little girl? Your daughter, Sensei?"

"No, that’s Ai-chan, our neighbor’s daughter and Masaki’s probably soon-to-be-adoptive-daughter," Satoshi explained. He earned another surprised look by his father but the vampire didn’t say anything more.

Instead, he snatched his glass filled with blood from the counter, amused by Sho’s slightly irritated look despite his brave attitude from before and lifted it in the air for a toast. "Well then, cheers to my sons and their lovers. What about you, Satoshi? Still single?" the vampire chuckled teasingly.

"I sent my girlfriend out of town for a while," the older brother answered simply.

"Ah... I see. You’re a good man."

"More than you are," Kazunari snorted and Satoshi just rolled his eyes.

"Let’s go back to bed, Kazunari-kun," Sho then suggested in a low voice and put his hand on the younger’s back. Kazunari looked at his father and Satoshi for a last time and then nodded toward Sho.

"Good Night, you two~," Okada sing-sang. "Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!"

"Oh shut up, Dad," Kazunari hissed, almost turning around again but Sho slightly pushed him out of the kitchen after answering the greeting.

While the two men with Ai went back through the corridors, they could still hear Satoshi and his father talking in the kitchen.

"Where should I sleep during the days? Do you have a free room?"

"You can have the couch?" Satoshi suggested.

"Are you kidding me? It’s too bright there after sunrise and what if you get guests?"

"I was indeed kidding. I can prepare a bed in the cellar for you. But you have to promise me that you won’t empty our blood stock, we’re a little short on reserves."

The father shrugged before he nodded. "I think I can get my own blood from now on, I just wanted a small welcome drink."

-+-+-

The smell of fried egg and fresh rice, overlapped almost completely by the scent by freshly brewed coffee met Masaki’s nose when he finally came downstairs the next morning. Jun was silently humming a song that sounded somehow familiar but the other couldn’t connect right away. The young man looked just adorably cute, standing there dressed in his sweatpants and Masaki’s T-shirt that he had borrowed without asking. His dark brown, curly hair was standing on edges and Masaki was dying to just go over to his boyfriend and take him into his arms. However, the heavy thoughts that were dominating his mind held him back.

He looked down to his hand, a thin, simple silver ring that he had received as a birthday present from Jun last night emblazoning his finger, the very same one that Jun should be wearing right now too. It was not truly a promise for the future but a definite sign that they belonged together. Masaki loved those rings. His heart had been overflowing with love and gratitude once Jun gave it to him. Masaki had surely been the happiest man on earth at that moment. But now, looking at it, it hurt. It almost burned him from inside. Masaki gulped. He felt like a betrayer. He didn’t deserve this…

When Jun turned around with the pan and the eggs in his hand, his face broke into a smile as he spotted his boyfriend who was leaning in the doorframe, messy hair too, dressed in his dark green hoodie and his boxer shorts, his arms crossed in front of his chest, examining the other.

"Good morning, late riser," the younger man said smiling before he turned around again and divided the eggs onto two small plates, decorating them with a bit of salad and cocktail tomatoes before he reached for two bowls already filled with rice. "Come sit down, breakfast is ready and I’m pretty proud that I managed not to burn the eggs."

"Good morning. Smells delicious," Masaki forced himself to smile, still suppressing the urge to hug the other man. He sat down at the table instead.

"I thought, you’ve turned into a stone as deeply as you were sleeping," Jun chuckled as he poured them some coffee before he joined the other at the table.

"Well, it was an exhausting night," Masaki smirked, making his boyfriend blush.

"It was great," Jun whispered, hiding his face behind his mug of coffee.

"Indeed. _You_ are great," the older said lovingly, causing the other to blush even more, but together with the wonderful memory of their past night spent together, also the doubt and his guilty conscious about lying to his boyfriend overwhelmed him again.

He sighed after he took a sip of his coffee, still not touching his breakfast. In fact, he hadn’t slept at all but only had pretended to do so in order to have enough time to sort his feelings and thoughts on how to face Jun from now on. And he had come to a conclusion that might take everything away from him that he just gained over the last few months. It was risky. If it turned out the way he expected, it would break his heart. Nevertheless, he knew that this would be for the best, somehow, someday. At least for Jun and Ai. And maybe, just maybe he could still hope.

"Are you alright?" Jun finally asked, putting down his mug, pulling his boyfriend out of his thoughts. Of course, he sensed that something in his lover’s behavior didn’t sit right.

Another sigh by Masaki as he reached up his hands to rub his forehead. Maybe this was the best timing; at least, he shouldn’t wait too long. "In fact, there's something I didn't tell you yet, Jun..."

"Hm? What is it, Masaki?" the other asked curiously.

"Could you come here for a moment, please?" Masaki asked, obviously getting more nervous.

Jun raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue, just stood up and walked around the table until he stood in front of his boyfriend, who reached out to his hands and pulled him a bit closer. Jun smiled and sheepishly settled down on Masaki’s lap. The latter lifted his hand to slightly brush his knuckles over the soft skin of Jun’s cheek who then grabbed Masaki’s hand himself, pressing it slightly.

"Kiss me, please," Masaki smiled and when Jun leaned closer, he let his hand slip to the back of the younger's head so that the other couldn’t escape any longer.

Masaki pressed his lips against Jun’s, first softly, multiple times, until he parted his lips, demanding a deeper kiss. Jun moaned voicelessly, his eyes closed and he let his fingers wander to Masaki’s neck, caressing his skin and playing with the still messy hair at the nape of his neck. Their tongues caressed each other, warmth spreading between them, and the feeling of being united. Masaki wished this kiss would never end, pouring all of the love and passion he felt for the wonderful man in front of him into it, as if this was their last kiss. Maybe, it really was.

"Somehow, you’re scaring me," Jun finally said as they broke their kiss, forehead against forehead, eyes still closed. He tried to hide his nervousness behind a chuckle but his boyfriend knew that Jun meant what he said. They joined hands again.

"I’ve been lying to you," Masaki said, pulling back and looking at Jun before averting his eyes.

"What? Lying to me?" Jun asked, puzzled. "What could you have been lying to me about? Do you have an illegitimate child? You know, I wouldn’t have a problem with that. I’m used to kids. You’re not cheating on me, are you? I know for sure you wouldn't. So…," the younger started speculating, his voice sounding a bit higher pitched than usual. Masaki felt awful for making the man he loved worried so much.

"No, no, it’s nothing like that. It’s something about me and my family."

"Are you sick? Something like Kazunari-kun’s illness?" the young man asked worrying, enforcing the grip of their joined hands.

"No, I’m not sick."

"Good then," Jun said relieved. "So tell me what's up. You know you can tell me everything."

"I know but… I fear that you might start hating me. And I wouldn’t even blame you for that."

"Masaki," Jun asked, his voice slightly trembling. Why did the other sound so serious, could it be something so bad? "What did you do?"

The older sighed again. "It’s more something that I _am_ than what I did."

"What is it, Masaki, spit it out! It can’t be that bad!"

Masaki lifted his chin, looking at Jun. His boyfriend’s eyes were filled with angst, nervousness and insecurity now and this was enough to break the other man’s heart already. He suddenly regretted that he has not been honest from the start. It might not have brought them to where they were right now but it would have saved them this situation, would have saved them this pain.

"I swear, I didn’t intend to deceive you or Ai, I just couldn’t tell you. We experienced too bad things in the past already, the risk is high and I didn’t want to scare you."

"Say it."

Masaki took a deep breath. This was it. The moment of truth. There was no turning back now. "My brothers and I, we are half-vampires."

Jun blinked, staring at Masaki without any further reaction then. The other gave him the time he needed and finally, after a first critical frown, the young man seemed to have found his speech again. "You…. Are what?"

"Half-vampires," Masaki repeated.

First, Jun chuckled but then his look turned serious again. "You’re kidding me, what’s that, is that a joke about your teeth? I don’t mind them, you know that. They are rather cute. Seriously, Masaki, this isn’t funny."

"I’m telling the truth," the older stated, failing a smile. "And you’re right, this isn’t funny."

"That’s impossible. Something like vampires don’t exist. They are made up creatures of the literature world," Jun argued but Masaki shook his head immediately.

"No, they _do_ exist."

"Are you _sure_? I mean, do you guys really think you are vampires?" the younger asked in disbelief, looking at his lover as if he feared for his mental health.

" _Half_ vampires."

"Fine, _half_ vampires."

"We’re not crazy if you want to say that. It’s true. You know that my brothers have different mothers than I do, right? But we share our father and _he_ is a vampire," Masaki concluded.

The young half-vampire's heart sank into his stomach as Jun slowly pulled his fingers out of his hands' grip. He felt the younger man’s body stiffing. He wanted to hold him, to tell him something good about all this but there was nothing he could come up with and he knew that his lie would weighed just too much. He wanted to cry.

"Ok… so… what does that mean now, you’re here to drink my blood and kill me or what?" Jun asked, trying to make it sound like a joke. He tried to find his composure but only succeeded partly. Masaki could see his heartbeat pumping the blood faster through his boyfriend's veins. "Because seriously, I wouldn’t believe that. And I doubt that Kazunari can do anything like that to Ai," of course, his thoughts went to his daughter. "No offense but I bet, she’s ten times stronger than him," he added, trying to joke.

"Of course we will _not_ kill you, gosh, Jun! You should know better!" Masaki started desperately. He had already expected that Jun wouldn’t take it well, so he wasn’t surprise but still, it hurt. He had to explain himself; he had to save at least what could be saved. "I would never harm you or Ai-chan. And my brothers neither. We don’t even have the need to kill like usual vampires and we only drink blood with permission or ordered from blood banks. Kazu doesn’t even drink blood at all because he’s allergic!"

"What the hell, this is getting more and more crazy, you really think that I believe this shit!?" Jun crossed his arms in front of his chest, huffily.

"My teeth!" Masaki said, pointing at them excitedly.

"What?"

"My teeth, they are the proof for it."

"How are they proof for it? You said they are just a bit abnormal from the usual teeth and it sounds credible to me." 

Jun was so damned stubborn. More than Masaki thought he could be.

"Well, it’s because I carry the genes of a vampire in me," the older argued. "Being a half-vampire isn’t that easy, you know? We are not full vampires, we have some flaws, our abilities aren’t fully developed or even not at all, our bodies are different, and something stuck in between human and vampire. We are weaker than vampires and less dangerous and we can live just like normal human beings to some extent. It’s different from type to type but all in all, we’re harmless. I’m saying the truth, believe me."

Jun sighed. "I’m still not convinced but then, why should you come up with such a ridiculous story… so, let’s pretend I believe you. And you’re telling me this _now_ of all times, just after we spent such a wonderful night together?!"

"Because I’m serious about you, about that thing with us," Masaki said, trying to put everything that would be needed to convince Jun about this into his look. "I - I couldn’t tell you earlier because…"

"You didn’t trust me?" Jun asked, sounding hurt.

"We didn’t know each other that well and I was sure if I told you, you would have never come close to me and you wouldn’t have allowed Ai-chan to get close to us," Masaki whispered desperately.

After a few seconds, his boyfriend averted his eyes before he finally stood up from Masaki’s lap, turning around in the kitchen, ruffling his hair. He sighed deeply and after a short while of thinking, he turned around to face his boyfriend again, his arms crossed and his look almost blank, putting a hurting distance between them. "Well, I guess, you’re right..."

"See?!" the older burst, jumping up and started to spill out everything that was left on his mind. "So I couldn’t tell you right from the start. I liked you two, I wanted to get to know you. I know, I was selfish. I’m really sorry! But I trust you completely now and that’s why I am telling you this."

"I – Masaki, seriously, I don’t really know what to think about this," the younger man too sounded desperate now.

"I can understand that you’re angry and maybe scared, but believe me, you and Ai-chan, you really don’t need to be scared of us," Masaki tried to assure his boyfriend, reaching out to take the young man’s hands in his again. "Not of _us_."

Jun frowned worried. "Not of _you_? What does that mean?"

Masaki really didn’t want to scare his boyfriend. But he had to tell the whole truth now. It was the main reason why they were talking about all this right now after all. He took a deep breath. "There’s more to it."

" _More_?" Jun was definitely on the verge of freaking out, shaking off his boyfriend’s hands again. "How can there be more? Can’t you… can’t you just give me a short moment to process this? To try to _understand_ this whole thing?"

Masaki sighed and if he wasn’t fearing that Jun could push him away, he would like to pull him into a comforting hug right now. "I’m sorry Jun but I _have_ to tell you. It’s important. It seems like we’re in danger. A group of real vampires is targeting us lately, Satoshi saw it in one of his dreams and they might attack us soon. We have to be prepared. I’m worried about you guys too, since we’re so close, they could target you and Ai-chan too…," a heavy lump formed in Masaki’s throat and he had to pull himself together, not to start crying. "And that’s the worst, I know! And it’s my entire fault that I got you involved in all this…"

There was silence for a couple of minutes, the two of them looking at each other without saying another word. While Masaki tried hard to hold back his tears, Jun’s thoughts went berserk in his head until he finally broke the silence. "Is this really the truth, Masaki?"

"It is. I swear," the older answered sincerely.

Jun sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Seriously, I wished you had been kidding."

"I’m sorry Jun, I’m so sorry, really."

The younger man took a deep breath, hesitantly searching for the right words to continue, convinced that maybe nothing he could say now would feel _right_ anyway. "You know, if this is really true, I might be able to get used to the… idea of you and your brothers being half-vampires, whatever that exactly means, because I know you’re nice guys and I like your brothers and I… I told you I love you and I mean it but... if all this means that Ai could be in danger, I can’t… I just can’t allow her to stay close to you. _We_ cannot stay close to you. She’s my _daughter_ , I have to protect her!"

"… I know."

"Why? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Do you know what kind of situation this will put me in right now?" Jun asked and Masaki could swear that Jun’s eyes looked wet too.

"I know," he repeated. Masaki could guess pretty well what Jun might be feeling now. He just hoped that underneath all the regret there would still be a hint of impenitence about their relationship. He didn’t want Jun to think that he had completely wasted his time with him. "I’m so sorry, I was so selfish. I just wanted to be close to you, as long as possible. I’m horrible."

"Did you know about the possible attack of those vampires before?" Jun asked.

"We found out not so long ago. I didn’t know in the beginning," Masaki answered honestly.

"Is this why you were trying to hang _garlic_ on our house, disguised as Christmas decoration and why you gave me and Ai those silver crucifixes?" the younger man frowned and unconsciously reached to the silver necklace he was wearing.

"Well, more or less, yeah. I told you, they are to protect you."

Jun looked at the small crucifix, in thoughts. "Can those small jewelries _really_ protect us from a vampire attack?"

"At least if you wear them, they can’t bite your necks and drink your blood from there before removing them," the older explained.

Jun seemed hesitant to believe him. "But they are _vampires_ , if they are like those… monsters described in all those books and movies, I’m pretty sure they will find a way to _drink our blood_ and they are dangerous in other ways too, aren’t they?"

"Yeah but… that’s why I’m warning you now. And we will give our best to protect you and Ai-chan, I promise!" Masaki exclaimed.

"Can you really do that?" his boyfriend confronted him directly. "Didn’t you say you don’t have fully developed vampire skills? Are you guys a match to _real_ vampires? You wouldn’t make such a fuss if they were easy to deal with, would you?"

"Well…"

"I think it’s best if Ai and I leave town," the younger finally concluded.

Masaki’s heart cringed. Not that he didn’t expect this but he didn’t expect how much these words actually _really_ hurt. "Jun…"

"It would be the best option, the most reasonable, you agree with that, don’t you?" Jun asked and Masaki didn’t need to answer. "You can’t guarantee that nothing will happen to Ai and me, can you?"

The half-vampire slightly shook his head in regret. "I can’t."

"See?" Jun’s voice broke slightly, he sounded so vulnerable right now.

"Will you also leave _me_?" Masaki asked in a low voice, even if he wasn't sure that he wanted to know the answer.

It seemed to be hard for Jun to answer but he seemed determined. "Masaki, look… If you and your brothers get targeted by other vampires, how can I ever know Ai safe if I stay connected to you?"

That was it. That was exactly what Masaki had feared the whole time. He sighed again, resigning completely. He blinked away the few tears before he faced Jun straightforwardly. He might not be able to safe their relationship but he might be able to give a few tips to the one he loved so that he could ensure his and his daughter’s safety. Their well-being was his highest priority after all.

"Stay inside during nights," Masaki started. "Don’t open the door to strangers, ever! Vampires cannot enter a house if you don’t invite them but they might be able to manipulate you so better not open the door at all at night, you should be safe then. If you really want to leave town, travel during daytime only, different from us half-vampires, _they_ really can’t move during the day. Keep the necklaces, just in case, they protect you from the worst, at first. And… just in case…"

"…Take some garlic with me?" this wasn’t supposed to be a joke, even if it sounded like it in Jun’s ears. "Seriously?"

"Yes. This isn’t funny, Jun."

"No, it isn’t. It’s just so… ridiculous somehow. It’s cruelly ridiculous," the young man said bitterly. Silence fell over the place again, the two man standing there in the kitchen, devastated.

"The ring… may I keep it?" Masaki then asked after a while, almost whispering.

"Do what you wish. It was a present after all," Jun answered.

"Jun, I’m really sorry," the older man repeated for the nth time during this conversation. But he meant it. He was sorry for so many things. For being what he was, a useless half-vampire not even able to guarantee the safety of his loved ones. For not telling Jun earlier about everything. For getting close to him even when he should have known that some problems might come up sooner or later.

"I know… I’m sorry too," Jun said, regret in his voice but still he was determined about his decision.

While Jun started cleaning the table and storing the untouched breakfast in the fridge without saying more, Masaki went upstairs to fetch the rest of his stuff. Jun was doing the dishes already when the other came back down and Masaki hesitated for a moment, wondering if there was something more to say before he left. Jun was still wearing Masaki’s shirt and the older thought that he was lucky, if the other wanted to keep it. At least maybe he didn’t resent him completely.

The lump in Masaki’s throat made it hard for him to talk, his eyes already filling with tears. "I’m leaving now. Thanks for everything, Jun."

Jun stopped his movements but didn’t answer. Then, suddenly he turned around as if he was feeling the other man’s look boring into his back.

"Please send Ai back here immediately. Don’t tell her anything. I don’t want her to get scared," he said after clearing his throat.

"I will, don’t worry. And you know, she’s a strong girl, she takes after her father," a small, loving smile adorned his lips just for a second.

"I know… Nevertheless…"

"I understand. Really," Masaki said honestly. He really did, even if it hurt. "Jun?"

"Yes?"

"I love you. And Ai-chan too. I really do and this will not change, I swear," the older stated.

Jun sighed, turning away from the other again. He tried to hide the slight trembling of his hands, grabbing the edge of the kitchen sink. "Masaki, please… just leave now, OK?"

"Just don’t forget it. I love you," the half-vampire repeated, his voice cracking and when Jun didn’t answer, he finally turned around.

He had already put on his shoes and reached the door when suddenly Jun stepped out of the kitchen, calling for the other. Surprised, Masaki turned his head, facing a desperate Jun.

"Masaki! I – I don’t hate you," he said determined and the half-vampire’s heart skipped a beat. "You were concerned so, don’t worry, I don’t hate you. But… I just can’t…," the young man seemed desperate and at a loss of words and Masaki decided to free Jun from the uncomfortable situation.

"It’s OK," the older said, offering him a smile. "Thank you."

When he left the Matsumoto’s house, he didn’t look back, his eyes filling with tears. 

He didn’t know that Jun broke down in the corridor behind the closed door, sobbing, kneeling on the floor, his face distorted by a painful look and thick teardrops falling from his long eyelashes. He was confused. So confused. There was still so much unspoken between them. Of course, Jun didn’t hate Masaki or his brothers now. Of course, he wasn't scared of them. Of course, he could understand why Masaki had been hesitating to tell him the truth and he wasn't mad at him because of that and of course, he didn't want to leave this town and Masaki, but he couldn’t come up with any other solution that might be enough to protect his daughter appropriately. He wanted to thank the other man for everything, the wonderful time they had shared, his concerns about him and his daughter, the tips he gave him, just everything. He wanted to hold him in his arms, just one last time, kiss him one last time but he knew, if he gave in to this desire, good bye would hurt even more.

_**TBC** _


	13. The Kidnapping

When Masaki entered the kitchen, trying to hide the traces of sadness behind his usual, cheerful smile, he spotted a rare but really pleasant scene. His two brothers, accompanied by little Ai, giggling cheerfully, were cleaning the kitchen together. Without Kazunari moping about how he hated the smell of food or complaining why he should help out with the dishes when he didn’t even use a single plate. Maybe, Masaki thought, Kazunari had learned about teamwork finally, or at the very least he wanted to be a good example for the little girl. In either case, he felt some pride over his little brother whose behavior toward others had improved immensely lately. He wondered, if this was Ai's work. Well, probably hers and Sho's.

"Ai-chan!" Masaki called out and once the little girl turned her head, she was all smiles.

"Maa-chan!" she waved excitedly at the other.

The man went down on his knees and opened his arms to welcome the little princess in a warm hug as she came running toward him. Her long black hair brushed his face as she almost ran him over joyfully. The two other men turned around, looking at their brother, wondering.

"Masa-nii, why so early?" Kazunari asked. He would have bet that the other would be spending the whole day with his boyfriend and hadn't expected him in the late morning at all.

"Hey, my dears. Ai-chan, how did you sleep?" Masaki asked instead, ignoring his little brother's question.

The girl smiled at Masaki widely and started telling him about her evening. "Very well! And before that, I had lots of fun with Kazu-kun and Sho-chan-sensei, we played games and everything, it was a fun pajama party!"

"It was just a sleep over, not a _party_ ," Kazunari murmured but Masaki ignored him and focused on the girl instead.

"I'm glad to hear that, sweetie, that's great!" the man looked around, again settling his eyes on the back of Kazunari, who had turned to continue drying the cleaned dishes Satoshi handed him. "Did Sho-san leave already?"

"He got an emergency call from a patient. He left just after breakfast," the youngest brother explained.

"I see," Masaki turned to Ai again, brushing her hair lovingly with his fingers. "Did you make breakfast today, Ai-chan?"

She nodded excitedly. "I did! Even if Kazu-kun refused to taste it again!" Her expression turned into a pout and Masaki burst out laughing.

He got up again, taking Ai's hand and went to the kitchen counter, spotting the rest of the breakfast, French toast and some fruits. "That's a crime, indeed, it looks so delicious! Are these leftover free to eat? Maybe _I_ should taste some."

"It's cold already," Ai answered, concerned.

"But Ai-chan made it with lots of love, right?"

"Of course!"

Another smile adorned Masaki's face. "Then I'm sure it will still taste delicious!"

The young girl smiled happily and nodded. The young man squeezed her hand tightly as he took a bite from the French toast and sent her a broad smile to show her his approval of her cooking skills. But then, with the second and third bite, his cheerful expression faded away little by little until he put down half of the toast and turned to his older brother, still clenching Ai's small hand in his.

"Satoshi, can you bring Ai-chan back home, please?"

"Eh? Do I have to leave already?" the girl asked surprised, pulling at Masaki's hand slightly to make him look at her. "Kazu-kun promised to play his new game with me. The one that he received from Sho-chan-sensei!"

"I'm sorry Ai-chan but your daddy is waiting for you," Masaki tried to smile but he wasn't completely sure if it worked. The memory of the conversation he just had with Jun overwhelmed him, constricting his heartbeat. He bent down again, putting his hands on Ai's shoulders and looked at her with the most cheerful expression he could fake right now. "He said I should tell you that he needs you immediately. You don't often spend the night away from home so he misses his little angel, you see?"

Ai smiled understanding. "I see. Then I guess I can't leave him alone for too long, right?"

"Exactly," Masaki nodded. He sighed and then he smiled, this time sincere due to the young girl's pure attitude. "You're a good girl, Ai-chan, come here and give me another big hug."

And this was what she did, flinging her arms around Masaki's head and hugging him close, her hair slightly tickling his nose, causing the man to giggle as he put his arms around her small back and pressed her close as if he never wanted to let her go again. But he had to, sooner or later and so after squeezing her for a last time, he turned her around, bending over her shoulder to whisper into her ear.

"You know what? Hug Kazu too!" he then told her with a cheeky smirk, knowing that his little brother would protest but would actually be happy to receive such a hearty hug too.

The young girl started laughing and immediately ran over to Kazunari, who of course protested at first, just as expected. But she didn't let him turn her down and continued tugging at his sleeves until he finally threw away his towel and bent down in defeat, welcoming her in his embrace. The little girl giggled amused and tried to hug the young man as tight as she could.

"Ugh… that's a bit too big of a hug," Kazunari complained, half serious, half joking as he felt the girl's small hands pressing at his back. She was just too adorable, that much he had to admit.

"You're a big boy, you can take it," Masaki joked. "Right, Ai-chan?"

"At least he's bigger than me."

"That's easy, you little twerp," Kazunari snorted.

"You aren't that tall either and you know why? Because you don't eat!" the young girl shot back, causing Satoshi to burst out laughing.

"Be nice to each other, kids!" Masaki said in a strict voice.

"Ye~s, Maa-chan," Ai answered and placed a little kiss on Kazunari's cheek, making him blush a little.

The oldest brother, still laughing, put the last glass back into the cupboard over the sink and dried his hands. "Shall we go, Ai-chan? Your Daddy is waiting."

The girl agreed and when Satoshi offered her his hand, she smilingly grabbed it, waving at Kazunari and Masaki before she disappeared in the corridor, searching for her shoes in the entrance area.

"Make sure to hug her when you leave her at Jun, will you, Satoshi?" the middle brother yelled behind them.

He could almost hear his brother's smile. "Certainly, I'm always in for hugging beauties."

"Don't let Yui-chan hear that or she might get jealous," Masaki smiled and finally got up again, heading through the corridor, followed by his little brother, to wave for the last time at the girl.

Ai, dressed up in her shoes and her adorable cute little coat presented the brothers with a last smile and her hair sparkled a little as the sun rays outside met her and Satoshi. Masaki's heart cringed and he desperately tried to burn that last image of the little girl smiling happily into his brain. In case he really wouldn't see her ever again, at the very least he wanted to remember her for the rest of his life, just like Jun. The clicking of the door latch sounded like something ultimate and once the door had fallen shut, Masaki's hand suddenly felt heavy and lifeless. He let it drop to his side and lowered his head, staring at the pattern of the floor underneath his feet.

"Gosh, what a good bye, as if we won't see each other again…," Kazunari finally murmured, scratching the back of his head. It was, as if he felt his brother's sadness in the atmosphere and when he turned to him, Masaki's absent look made him feel even more agitated. "Nii-chan? Hey, what's wrong?"

Pulled out of his thoughts, Masaki looked at him. "Ah, nothing, it's nothing I just thought, she's so cute, our little angel, and I hoped she will never grew up," he tried to smile. And failed.

"Are you sure it's nothing?" Kazunari asked, reaching his hand to lay it on his brother's forearm.

"I'll tell you once Satoshi is back, OK?" Masaki replied and started strolling into the living room. His brother followed him and together they settled next to each other on the big couch, as if they were preparing for Satoshi's return. Masaki pulled his knees close, hugging them and then, he looked at his brother again, who mirrored his gesture unconsciously. "For now, tell me how was your evening with Sho-san and our little angel?" the older brother asked.

Fortunately, Kazunari played along and answered willingly. "Well, we played games. And then _our little angel_ slept like a stone, it's incredible."

"See, she's got the sleep of the angels…," Masaki nodded, his lips curling into a smile.

"You're overusing this word if you ask me, Nii-chan."

"I'm just stating the facts," the older pouted slightly before he reached out to poke his brother's knee. "However, tell me, how was it with Sho-san?"

Kazunari blushed, averting his eyes and placing his chin on top of his knees. "It… was nice, I guess?"

"You _guess_?"

"OK, it _was_ nice. Really nice," he admitted sheepishly.

"Did you give him your present? Did he like it?" his brother was just too curious.

"I did. And yes, he liked it. Actually… we had a long talk and I told him everything."

"You finally told him that you have a crush on him?" Masaki grinned, reaching out to poke his brother again, who lifted his hand and slapped Masaki's away before he could reach him. His face was deeply red.

"Idiot, tha-that's not what I meant. I mean I told him that I'm - that we are – half-vampires," the younger set him straight.

His brother gaped at him. That was a surprise, indeed. "No kidding?! What did he say?"

"He was very understanding. He said he doesn't care, he wants to support me," Kazunari continued, wonder underlying in his voice as if he still couldn't believe the whole thing. "He said... he wants to be my partner."

Masaki couldn't suppress another smile and he sighed in relief. At least for his little brother things seemed to work out. It was high time, how much pain and misery had Kazunari experienced in his life already? "Really? Kazu-chan, that's amazing! Did you agree? Is he your boyfriend now?"

"Uhm well, I guess?"

The older brother broke into laughter. "You and your _guesses_! It's simple, isn't it? Is he your boyfriend or is he not?"

"It seems like he is," Kazunari nodded, still a bit insecure.

"You don't seem so convinced somehow, maybe I should ask him myself just to make sure," his brother chuckled. "So what else, did you… kiss?"

"What?! No!" the younger looked at Masaki, shocked. "It's much too early for something like that!"

"My little brother is so shy, how cute!"

"I'm _not_ cute! I just need some time!" Kazunari tried to justify.

"It's alright, don't worry. It's your first love after all, no need to rush," Masaki said and when he reached out this time, to pat his brother's hair, the younger let him be and just looked at him with red flushed cheeks.

"Stop that, Masaki, it's so embarrassing to talk about something like that," the younger brother said and hid his face behind his knees.

"Love isn't embarrassing, Kazu," Masaki said with a loving expression in his face. "I told you so often already. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's something very precious and you should be proud to be loved and to be able to love."

Kazunari could have voiced his doubts on whether he even deserved to be loved but he didn't and instead brought back his question from earlier. "You sound sad… is really everything OK?"

The older brother sighed. "Love can also hurt from time to time, right?"

"Did something happen with Jun?"

"… We broke up."

Kazunari stared at his brother in disbelief. "What? Why?!"

"I told him about our true nature…," Masaki started but the sound of the entrance door getting opened and closed again made him stop.

Satoshi was back and it took him just a few seconds to get rid of his shoes and to join them in the living room. "I'm back. And Masaki, I forgot to tell you, Dad is here by the way. I set up a place for him to sleep in the cellar. He told me to greet you and to tell you that he's looking forward to meeting you tonight."

The younger man looked at him surprised. "What?! Dad is here? When did he arrive?"

"Last night. To be honest, I called him. I thought, maybe we will need his help."

"It's good that he shows up at least once in a while," Masaki sounded a little grumpy.

"You're mad at him too?" the oldest brother asked, wondering if he forgot something like a special reason why the brothers should be upset toward their father.

"Too?"

"Kazu isn't on good terms with him."

"That's nothing new," Masaki waved his hand. "Anyway, I'm glad he came. It's been a while since he last visited us and we really could need his help, right Kazu?"

The youngest rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess."

"You're driving me crazy," Masaki shook his head.

"Why?!" Kazunari shot him an irritated look.

" _Guess_ , why. To say it with your own words, you're _overusing_ that word."

"Aren't you supposed to be sad because you broke up with your boyfriend? Stop teasing me, it's not my fault if you're heartbroken," Kazunari said, but shut himself by covering his mouth with his hand as he realized what he did, regretting his words immediately. His brother averted his eyes.

"Stop fighting, guys, seriously. And what was that, Masaki, you broke up with Jun?" Satoshi asked, confused.

"We didn't want to. Well, _I_ didn't want to and I'm sure, he didn't want to either but when I told him about our true nature and that we might be in danger because of that group of vampires, he…," Masaki couldn't finish his sentence but he didn't even need to, his brothers understood immediately.

"He wants to protect Ai-chan, right?" Satoshi asked in a low voice as he sat down next to his brother, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Kazunari frowned sadly. "So it was really a good bye hug with Ai-chan? For real?"

"They might leave town. I fear that's it," Masaki whispered, tears welling up his eyes.

"Masaki…," the oldest brother said, affected, not really knowing what to say, surely nothing would make the whole thing any better at this very moment. "I know how much you love those two. Really, I'm _so_ sorry it turned out like this. But… it's for their best, probably, right?"

"I know," the younger bit his lower lip before he nodded, facing the others. "Eh, Kazu-chan, why are you crying?" he asked surprised as he spotted the wet traces on his little brother's cheeks.

"Why?" Kazunari asked, his voice sounding broken. "I guess, because this means we probably won't see our little angel any longer… and you're crying too, just in case you didn't notice. It's making me sad!"

"Come here, you two crybabies," the oldest brother whispered, holding himself back, and settled on the couch in between them, pulling them close for a comforting hug.

Masaki didn't say anything more but let his tears flow freely, crying out at the pain, pressed against his brother's chest.

-+-+-

Yui had been really careful about what her boyfriend had told her. She didn't go out after sundown, knowing that the danger could lie in the darkness of night, even if she couldn't imagine that the vampires had really followed her to Osaka when they were actually were targeting Satoshi and his brothers. She more worried for the guys than herself, because she felt safe here with her cousin and his family. Just the night after Christmas, she would be proven wrong.

"I'm taking out the trash," the young woman offered to the members of her family after dinner, her aunt handing it over to her, thankful for every help she could get.

Yui's uncle and her cousin Tadayoshi were sitting around the low table in the living room, laughing while they were watching a newcomer comedy duo performing their skits on local TV. As she stepped into the corridor, the young woman was humming a song from the background of a commercial she just watched a few minutes ago, a really sticky song by a currently super popular girl group. She just picked up her shoes from the entrance area to bring them along and quickly wrapped a scarf around her neck. She didn't bother to put on a jacket since she would be back in just a minute, considering that the trash cans were only a few steps away from the entrance to the backyard of the Ohkura's residence. Yui wouldn't have considered this as "going out at night" but later on, she would have to admit that she had just been too careless.

As soon as she stepped out and closed the door behind her, she sensed something cold slipping over her mouth from behind. Yui's heart skipped a beat from the surprise, the plastic bag filled with trash fell down to the ground and she wanted to scream immediately as she realized that it was a stranger's hand, a really cold hand with rangy fingers, covering her mouth forcefully. Her scream was muffled against those cold limbs, dying out before anybody had a chance to notice it. Yui knew immediately that she was caught, she didn't know by whom but she was sure that it was one of those creatures her boyfriend wanted to protect her from. A vampire. A _real_ vampire.

Yui's breath hitched, she almost panicked, only able to pull in some air through her nose. Instinctively, she tried to free herself, her hands clutching the arm of the vampire and trying to pull it away from her but he was strong, too strong and she couldn't move it away at all. She tried to reach out to the door nearby, wanting to bump against it so that her family inside the house would hear her, but she failed miserably as the creature quickly grabbed one of her hands, the sharp fingernails of the vampire scratched the skin on her wrist. He brought her arm behind her back and twisted it, enough to cause her pain and make her want to go down on her knees. Yui whimpered, almost unheard.

"Sh Sh… quie~t, Yu-i-chan," a male voice, lunacy lying in it, cut the air with a whisper against her ear before he let out a creepy chuckle. "Don't struggle too much or I might have to hurt you and we don't want that to happen, do we?"

The young woman fought the sudden panic about ending up dead within the next few seconds that was frothing up her chest and tears of anger flooded her eyes. Anger directed at herself and her stupid negligence. How could she have been so damned stupid?!

"It was really cute of your boyfriend to send you here to protect you but come on… that was a really lame try when you ruin his efforts with your careless attitude, wasn't it? Who should watch over you here, huh?" the vampire whispered, enforcing his grip around Yui's hand, causing her to whine against his cold hand. "Anyway, don't worry, I won't kill you right away. Your blood smells delicious... But it would be a waste of fun and I'm not allowed to. Not yet. We'll generously arrange a last meeting for you and your beloved half-vampire-bastard, so be grateful for that, you hear me?"

This was a trap, Yui knew it immediately. A trap and nothing to be grateful about at all if this would mean that it was _her_ fault that Satoshi would get into danger because of this. Yui's tears finally ran down her cheeks freely, the hot liquid felt as if it left burning traces on her cold skin. Her body was shaking. Her thoughts were only revolving around her boyfriend. She remembered the worry in his eyes the night they said goodbye. She wanted to see him, of course, she wanted to be with him all the time. But this would cause him serious trouble, wasn't that the reason why he sent her away? 

"Yu, don't waste your time teasing her," Yui could hear the silent whisper of another creature. She was still facing the door to the Ohkura's house, so she couldn't see it but she was pretty sure that it was another vampire. So there were even two of them? "We have to take her to Mao-chan." Or three… Damned.

The vampire called Yu, who was still holding her firmly, sighed unnerved and whirled her around as he turned to face his companion. "Don't spoil the fun, Subaru, you're just jealous that I got her first."

It was hard to make out in the dark, but her eyes were getting used to the night and the bit of dim light from the corridors of the house helped her to finally make out the outlines of the source of the second voice. A small creature, probably even smaller than she, was standing in the dark shadow of the opposite corner. Suddenly, there were two red dots glowing in the dark - just for a split second – most likely the eyes of the vampire. Yui froze.

"That wasn't particularly difficult since you were literally glued to the house since it went dark and stalked her like a creeper," the small vampire noted snippy.

The other snapped back. "Thanks to _my_ creepy stalking I can now present her to our dear cousin and earn some bonus points, what about you now, huh?"

"Oh come on I don't give a shit about kissing Mao's ass," Subaru hissed. "Let's leave or we might draw attention from her family."

"As if they could do anything against this, stupid humans," Yu snorted.

"Shut up now and hurry. Mao is waiting."

"Lead on," the vampire, still holding Yui close, said provokingly to his companion and just after the blink of an eye, the creature from the shadows seemed to have vanished, faster than Yui might could have followed with her eyes. "And _you_ are coming with me."

The vampire turned Yui around so that she could finally see his face in the half-darkness but he still pressed his hand against her lips. The vampire looked as lunatic as his voice has sounded, his face adorned by a terrifying wide grin, showing long teeth in the corners of his mouth. His eyes were widened with insanity, maybe the pleasant anticipation of seeing his prey suffering very soon. 

The young woman instantly knew that this creature was as different as night and day to Satoshi, even if they partly shared the same race. There wasn't a trace of humanity left in those dark eyes, not a hint of a heart. Then, when the creature's eyes flashed in red for a second, it felt like each and every cell of Yui's body lost all of its energy at once and suddenly she felt as tired as never before in her life. Her body went limp on an instant and she could only feel the cold arms of the vampire catching her figure before her mind slipped into the dark.

All this happened unnoticed, but neither Yui nor the vampire had realized though, that the young woman did not disappear without leaving any trace.

\-----

"Yui-chan? Oi, Yui!" Tadayoshi's voice cut the cold air as he stepped outside just a few minutes later, leaving the door wide open, hoping that the lights from inside would be bright enough to make him see something. "Seriously, what's takin' ya so freakin' long here, are you phonin' with yar lover?" the young man tried to tease his cousin.

However, when he took a look around in the small backyard of his house, there was no trace of the young woman far and wide.

"Yui-chan?" the young man asked again, his breath forming white fume in the cold air.

He looked around again, trying to spot out each and every corner. The backward wasn't that wide, just a few square meters, giving enough space for the trashcans and a small garden in which his mother would cultivate some vegetables during the warm seasons. There was no place to hide, no other door leading back into the house or outside of the small residence. Did Yui get back inside already, maybe taking a bath? But then, why she would let the trash bag drop without putting it into the trashcan, Tadayoshi wondered as he picked up the bag and put it into the destined can.

As he turned back again, his eyes fell on the ground to the spot where he had just picked up the trash. Something seemed to reflect off the light from inside and shined at the young man when he looked at it from just the right angle. He stepped closer and bent down as he spotted Yui's cellphone lying on the ground. He might have thought that she just dropped and had forgotten about it being outside, if there weren't those few dark spots besides it and one on top of the device.

"What's that?" Tadayoshi murmured, reaching out.

He took the cellphone in his hand, lifting it and examined it, trying to figure out what that dark spot on top of the display was, when it started to melt away slightly. He went closer to the entrance door, trying to get some more light and it didn't take him long to realize _what_ that dark red liquid actually was. It was blood. Yui's blood.

"Oh crap!" he cursed.

Terrified, Tadayoshi turned to face the backyard again, his eyes more focused now, trying to spot every little thing that could still be there. But still, there was nothing. Not anymore. Whoever it was that had kidnapped his cousin, he was gone together with her.

Hurriedly, the young man reached inside his trousers pocket, pulling out his own cellphone. He quickly contacted his co-workers to call them for an emergency meet up before rushing inside the house again, into his room. He opened the wardrobe and pushed away several hung up clothes until he reached the backside of it, revealing several dangerous looking instruments. Tadayoshi grabbed some seemingly random items, stuffed them into his pockets and then reached out for some silver chains, putting them around his neck hurriedly. He reached for a black coat with numerous pockets, stuffing them with even more items and finally left the house, bringing along not only his own but also Yui's cellphone.

Cursing, he blamed himself for not taking care of his cousin properly and he was determined to put things right again, if it was still possible, or his guilty conscience would eat him from inside. He even should have _known_ that she might be in danger, didn't she tell him the whole story about her boyfriend, his brothers and the danger coming from a group of unknown vampires? He should have considered that they might spy on her, that they wanted to get her. Damned!

He jumped into the small van he used for his job and started the engine. While driving to the meeting spot he had arranged with his friends, the young man tried to keep a close eye on his surroundings, sharpening his senses for any strange things that might take place outside. Maybe, it wasn't too late to spot the kidnappers nearby, even if his hope was very little, he had to admit that.

+++++

Satoshi was wiping some paint onto a colorful towel before he focused his gaze onto his current painting again to check the overall impression. He frowned, letting out a deep sigh, reaching out to his brush again, and was ready to make some corrections. He wasn't really satisfied with his work lately. His inner balance, his contentedness that made it pretty easy for him to relax and let the creativity flow out of his mind and hands was clearly disturbed due to recent events and he clearly blamed that for his lack on skills.

The half-vampire was still correcting some color gradient as his cell phone rang. Again he snatched his towel to wipe his fingers clean before he reached to the device, checking the display. He immediately took the call when he recognized his girlfriend's name, wondering.

"Honey… what's up, it's the middle of the night, can't you sleep?" Satoshi asked in a soft voice. He had called Yui in the morning after the sad good bye from Ai and Masaki's disastrous break-up to keep her updated and usually would set a short call the next morning to check on her again. Nevertheless, he wouldn't complain about hearing her voice again. But then…

 _"I'm sorry but I'm not yar honey,"_ this was definitely _not_ his girlfriend's voice.

Satoshi froze, an unpleasant feeling spreading through his whole body. The alarm shrilling in his head almost made him forget how to speak. "W-what?" he spat out, finding his speech again slowly. "Who... Who are you? Where is Yui? Did you do something to her?!"

_"No no, wait, I didn't do anythin' to her!" the voice on the other line answered defending. "I'm her cousin from Osaka, OK? Ohkura Tadayoshi."_

"Her cousin?" at least, the unknown voice now had a name.

_"Yes, I'm her cousin. And yar her boyfriend, na? Ohno Satoshi, right?"_

"I am," Satoshi answered, perplexed. How the hell did that Ohkura-guy know about him? Did Yui tell him about them? "Would you mind now to tell me what's going on? Why do you have Yui's phone?"

 _"Yui, she spent her time here at my parents' place recently but…,"_ Tadayoshi hesitated.

"But what?" the half-vampire asked, panic was crawling up inside of him again.

_"I know ya sent her away to protect her, she told me, ya know? And I'm really sorry but it seems I couldn't protect her when she needed it. It's my fault, I should have paid more attention…"_

"Ohkura-kun, what the hell happened to her?" the panic grew larger and larger.

After a second of silence, the caller answered, sheepishly. _"They got her. She got kidnapped."_

"She _what_?!" Satoshi's voice broke.

 _"I'm sorry!"_ Tadayoshi exclaimed, yelling into his cellphone so that Satoshi had to pull away from his for a moment.

"You're _sorry_?!" he asked devastated. Not helpful, really.

 _"Oi oi, it wasn't ME who kidnapped her, don't ya get so angry now!_ Tadayoshi defended himself immediately. _I called ya because I thought if we worked together, we could help her!"_

"Help her? Do you know where she is?"

_"…"_

"Ohkura-kun, do you know where she is?!" Satoshi repeated, this time with more force.

 _"No, I don't,"_ Yui's cousin admitted. He sounded guilty. _"I tried to find her but it seems the kidnapper's too far away already."_

"So how could you help her then?" the half-vampire had to pull himself together.

_"She… Yui-chan told me you and yar brothers 're getting stalked by vampires, na? I know about them and I also know that yar a half-vampire - which is pretty interestin' by the way – anyway, I thought, if they wanna annoy ya, maybe they'll get in contact with ya."_

Satoshi lost his speech again for a minute, he had to let it sink in that first this stranger on the phone – even if he was his girlfriend's cousin – knew a lot more about him and his situation than he had expected and second, he had to think, think about what the vampires might do to Yui if they really kidnapped her. If they would use her as a hostage, as a bait for him. "Well… It might be possible…"

_"I thought they might come close to ya._

"Tell me, Ohkura-kun, Yui... Why did she tell you about us?" Satoshi asked curiously.

 _"I discovered the marks on her neck and made her talk. Not her fault. And don't ya worry, Yui-chan's friends are my friends. Ya can trust me if I can trust ya,"_ Tadayoshi said, trying to sound as trustworthy as possible.

The half-vampire sighed. The thought that all this could be a trap crossed his mind for a second, but he might just be a little paranoid at the moment. And what choice did he have besides believing the guy on the phone? "If Yui trusts you, I guess I don't have a choice either. So what's your plan?"

_"Call me if the kidnappers get in contact with ya. I'll come to help then with my friends."_

" _Help_ me against _vampires_?" Satoshi chuckled. "But you're a human being, aren't you?"

 _"Me and ma friends? We are,"_ Tadayoshi confirmed.

"Who the hell are you?"

_"We're yar allies. You don't needa know more than that for now."_

Again Satoshi had to decide if he could trust the man on the phone or not. He thought about Yui. About that if she was in trouble, he could need any help he could get. "Fine, if I hear anything, I'll call you."

 

**TBC**


	14. When there's Life, there's Hope

Ai tried to ignore the banging against her door, which she had locked with the key she found in one of her desk's drawers. This was the first time ever that she locked the door to her room and she hated the fact that she had to do it but she didn't know what else she could do in this situation. The young girl was standing at the window, looking outside and when she spotted Masaki in their neighbor's garden, bringing out the trash, tears filled her eyes at the thought that she might not be able to see him again in the future. 

Still, the banging at her door and her father's calls. Still, she tried to ignore them. The girl turned around quickly, to climb onto her bed, grabbing a huge plush bear and hugging it tightly, hiding her face in the fluffy fur.

"Ai, Ai please, come out now," her father's pleading reached through the door.

"No!" she refused in a loud voice, darting an angry look at the door.

"I made lunch, come downstairs!" Jun tried next.

"I don't want to!"

"Ai, you need to eat something!" her father scolded.

"I'm not hungry."

A deep sigh from behind the door. "But you will become hungry. Do you want to starve to death?"

"I have some crackers, I can live a few days here without your lunch!"

Jun banged at the door again, slowly but surely losing his nerve. "Ai, seriously, this is not funny!"

"This is our home!" she finally exclaimed, pressing her plush toy closer and setting free another few tears. "I don't want to leave!"

It was the day after the break-up with Masaki. Jun couldn't bring himself to tell his daughter right away and he even had toyed with the thought of not telling her the reason why they would have to leave at all but as expected, Ai was smart and she had sensed that something was wrong. The fact that her father had started packing small stuff into packages alarmed her too. It happened too often in the past to ignore what it would mean. And she was against it. Thus when her father finally told her in the morning that they would move away from here soon, she jumped up and run away to her room, locking herself in.

A dull noise could be heard. This time, Jun had banged his head against the door. He really had reached a state of being completely unnerved and desperate now and there wasn't much stopping him from just slumping down at his daughter's door, sulking there, and crying too. The situation was difficult enough for him, even without Ai rebelling now. Even if he could understand her motives.

"Darling, I know you don't want to leave. I don't want to leave either," he finally said in a low voice, not even knowing if the muffled tone would reach her.

But then, he heard his daughter's voice closer to the door. "Then why do we have to?"

Jun put his hands against the wood, looking at it, as if he could look through it to see Ai if he just stared at it long enough. "I explained to you, didn't you understand?"

"I only understand that Maa-chan and the others aren't bad people."

"I didn't say they are bad people!"

"You said being with them is dangerous!"

"Because…," Jun had to admit that he didn't tell her the _exact_ reason why that was. Maybe that was why she had a hard time understanding him and had fled from their conversation.

"I _know_ what they are. But they are _not_ dangerous!" the little girl emphasized.

Jun frowned. "You know? What do you know, Ai?"

"I know they are vampires."

The young man paused. He was surprised. Or maybe not that much. "Did they tell you that?"

"They didn't but didn't you see Maa-chan's teeth? I told you from the beginning, they are real!" Ai said, convinced. Of course, that wasn't the only reason why she believed that. She had just felt that something was off with their neighbors and summing this up with the fact of Masaki's teeth and her liking for spooky stories, it had been the most logical explanation to her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jun asked, wondering why his daughter had kept this a secret from him if the whole thing was so obvious for her from the start. He didn't want to think that Ai would feel like she couldn't tell her daddy everything.

"I did once but you told me it's not real so I pretended to believe you. I knew _you_ wouldn't believe me. You didn't believe me about my friend Fuku-kun either and told me he's just in my imagination," the young girl said, her pout obviously hearable and Jun sighed as he remembered the issue with Ai and her imaginary friend some time ago.

Due to recent events, Jun had to admit that he wasn't so sure any longer if he had been right back then. However, the thought of his daughter talking to a _ghost_ or something similar, gave him goosebumps and he didn't really have the nerves right now to think about _why_ she would be able to do so at all. However, realizing that it wouldn't be necessary any longer to keep the details secret from Ai, he decided to tell her the whole truth. 

"Alright," he started. "So, you're right, almost. Maa-chan and his brothers, they are half-vampires."

"I don’t care what they are, they are _not_ dangerous. I want to stay with them!" the little girl stood stubborn.

"I know… They aren't the problem, Ai" her father sighed.

"Why can't we stay with them then?"

"The problem are other people… other… vampires. Really dangerous ones. They want to hurt them and maybe also us."

"Shouldn't we stay here then to protect them?"

Desperately, Jun closed his eyes. How he wished he would be able to do that. It broke his heart to know that he was so useless and helpless that he couldn't protect the ones he loved. The only one he could try to protect was his little girl. "Ai, we _can't_ … We have to be realistic, we're too weak."

"Then who will protect them? Kazu-kun is weak too," Ai pointed out, voicing Jun's thoughts exactly.

"They… will protect each other," Jun said, voicing his hopes.

He was worried too about Masaki and his brothers, of course. And he hoped that they would be able to face those vampires and scare them away somehow, even if he couldn't imagine how this would work. Were vampires up to negotiations? Would they ever leave them in peace? Because if not, what would that mean, would they kill the half-vampires? Jun gulped down the big lump forming in his throat. He didn't want to imagine that, definitely not. His hands started shaking slightly. Even if he and Masaki weren't together any longer, he didn't want him or his brothers to die. Even if they would live apart, he wanted them to be healthy.

"Ai?" he asked as his daughter didn't answer any longer. Maybe, she was thinking the same.

"I want to stay with Maa-chan and Kazu-kun and Sato-nii…," the girl repeated, her voice sounding more sad than angry.

"Ai…"

The young girl still refused to come out of her room for hours and Jun started to worry even more. Not only was he worried about her being locked in alone all day long, not having decent stuff to eat, he also didn't want the good relationship with his daughter to fall apart because of a dispute. She had to understand that her father was only worried about her, he couldn't risk staying here as long as those vampires were a danger for their neighbors and themselves. But he could also understand Ai's unwillingness to leave, since he felt the same. But he had to be a reasonable adult, even if it would tear his heart apart.

Nevertheless, the desperation gradually took over and the later it got, the more the young man panicked. His thoughts revolved around Masaki, they didn't want to stop. In the end, he couldn't bury the immensely strong need to call the other over for help.

While Jun was a caring father, he had to be strict with Ai sometimes, and Masaki since joining them was definitely the softer part of their almost family-like relationship. The latter always had a good wire with Ai. Maybe because he was such a friendly and openhearted person. He tended to spoil the young girl, treating her like a princess, as if she was his own little daughter, and the young girl had immediately accepted him not only as her father's partner, but also as her new parent in some way. If Jun couldn't get through to Ai, he was sure that only Masaki would be able to do so.

-+-+-

"Seems like she has fallen asleep," Masaki whispered as he knelt down in front of the door of Ai's room, looking through the key hole just to spot the young girl lying on her bad, hugging her huge plush bear. "Do you have a spare key or something?"

The half-vampire tried to hide his excitement about being able to see Jun and Ai again, since he had almost buried those hopes completely after their last good bye. Never would Masaki have expected on Jun calling him to help him get Ai out of her room and once he heard the reason for her locking herself in, he felt his heart clench in emotion. The fact that the little girl refused to come out because she didn't want her Dad and her to be separated from Masaki and his brothers made him feel loved and insanely happy. Nevertheless he knew that it was for Jun and Ai's best if they left town and so of course he came over to help Jun with the little girl.

"I don't. I tried every key I found but none fits. In fact, I didn't even know that there was actually a key for this room," Jun explained while brushing his hand over his face. He was at the edge of his nerves. "I tried to explain the situation to her but nothing helps, I really don't know what to do any more."

Masaki turned, looking at his former boyfriend who had knelt down right next to him. He noticed the sheer stress on his face, the signs of a desperate guardian, reminding him of what he and Satoshi often had to go through because of Kazunari in the past. The young man couldn't suppress the impulse of reaching out to Jun's hand and press it slightly to give him some comfort. His heartbeat started racing when Jun didn't pull away but instead clenched onto Masaki's hand firmly. He still could feel it, this connection between them. The love between them.

"Will you let me negotiate with her?" Masaki asked.

Jun sighed and let his forehead drop onto Masaki's shoulder. "Just tell her whatever is needed to make her come out of there and flee with me. It breaks my heart that we have to go but I swear I won't be able to sleep a single night if I know she will be in danger here."

Masaki wanted to lift his hand and brush over Jun's cheek, wanted to pull him into a hug and comfort him but the slight body contact alone was enough to drive him almost crazy already. Anything more would make him lose control and kiss the other and he didn't want to make things harder than they already would be when they had to separate again.

"Let me try my luck," he just said, focusing on Ai again and lifting his hand to knock on her door. "Ai-chan? Hey, Ai-chan are you awake?" he asked in a loud voice, to wake up the little girl.

It took a few seconds and another few calls but soon, Masaki heard some shuffled footsteps and looking through the key hole again, he spotted the black haired girl coming closer. A dull noise indicated that she seemed to have put her small hands against the wooden door and soon after, Masaki looked directly into her eye that she had placed at the other side of the key hole to peep through.

"Maa-chan? Is it you?" the girl asked surprised.

"Yes, little angel, it's me! Will you come out to talk with us, please?" the half-vampire suggested but as expected, he received a negative answer.

"I'm happy to see you, Maa-chan but I'm sorry, I can't come out of here. Daddy just wants to trick me out of the room," she pouted. "I'll stay here forever, tell him that."

Masaki sighed. "Your Daddy is here with me and he's truly worried about you and I am too! Do you have enough to eat in there? And something to drink?"

The young girl left from her spot, just to return a second later. "I… forgot to take something to drink with me."

"Aren't you thirsty?"

"… Maybe a little bit."

"If you come out here, I'll get you something to drink, dear. I can even make some hot chocolate for you if you want to," Masaki tried to lure her outside of her room.

"But Daddy will get me and force me to leave this house! Did he tell you that he wants to move away? Just like that! And leave you and Kazu-kun and Sato-nii behind…," the young girl started, her voice sad and her breath short from the unpleasant excitement she must feel about the whole situation. "If I stay here in my room, we can't leave. You don't want him to leave either, do you?"

"Of course not, little angel," Masaki's heart almost broke again. "But you have to go to be in a safe place for a while."

"Daddy said we won't come back," she said after a short pause.

Masaki's heart cringed, feeling a last tiny hope he had hidden there crumbling. He turned to Jun who seemed to be frozen to his shoulder for the time being. "You really don't intend to come back?" he asked whispering.

Jun lifted his head, his eyes wet. "I – I don't know… I don't want to raise hope that might not become true, what if something really bad happens to you and your brothers? I mean what if you…," die? Jun almost asked, his biggest fear polluting his thoughts. He looked at the other, devastated.

"I know hope is small but this sounds as if you already gave up on me and the others," Masaki said in a serious tone, pressing Jun's hand. "You know, Satoshi called our father. He's a vampire and he's strong, very strong and he will help us against our enemies. Please, don't give up on us yet. Once we scared away those vampires, it's likely that things will get back to normal and I… I hoped that you might consider coming back then, to be honest. To come back here and to come back to me, maybe…," the half-vampire ended his speech.

"Well… _if_ this really happens… We might come back," Jun said, looking right into Masaki's eyes and suddenly, there was hope reflecting in the black pupils of the other man. Jun's heart jumped a little. Maybe, it wasn't too late to hope yet.

"Did you hear that, Ai-chan?" Masaki asked, one hand against the wooden door.

"Will we come back, Daddy? Really?" the young girl wanted to confirm, still in disbelief. "This isn't a trick?"

"I can't promise, dear, but I promise you we will try, is that enough for you for now?" the young father offered.

"You won't sell the house for now?"

"I won't."

"Promise?" the little girl demanded.

"I promise," Jun said, nodding, and Masaki's lips unintentionally curled up into a smile.

And finally, Ai went to her desk, searching for the key that she had placed back inside of the drawer in which she found it and came back to the door to unlock it. Once she pulled the door open, she got drawn immediately into a big hug by the two men who meant the world to her. She felt her father's hands shaking as he clenched onto her small body, heard him sobbing as he pressed her close. She felt Masaki's warm hand stroking her hair and his lips pressing against her temple. She reached out to them, putting her arms around her necks.

"Can we have some hot chocolate now, please?" she finally asked and Masaki chuckled. This was just the right thing to brighten the mood for a while at least.

+-+-+

Kazunari stretched his arms over his head, taking a break from a gaming session that he had started to distract himself from the troublesome happenings, when he heard his cell phone ringing. He widened his eyes in excitement and immediately reached for his phone, almost slipping on some magazines left on the floor when he had to get up to take a step forward so that he could reach the edge of his bed. His cell phone ringing could only mean that it was either one of his brothers or…

The young man couldn't prevent himself from smiling happily when he saw the caller's ID of his _boyfriend_ (it still felt so unreal) blinking on the display. His heart jumped in joy and he hurriedly answered the phone, before slumping with his forearms onto the edge of his bed. "Hello?"

 _"Have you taken your pills already?"_ Sho's voice reached the other's ear.

"What a greeting, Sho-san," Kazunari answered, pouting slightly. "But good that you mention it, I indeed almost forgot…"

 _"I thought so! So get up and take them. Now. I'm waiting,"_ the doctor chuckled, amused, into the phone.

"Ye~s, Sensei," surprisingly, Kazunari didn't even think about protesting and so he just got up and searched for his pill box that he must have left somewhere in his trousers pockets. Or on his bed… or did he leave it on the shelf? "That is if I find them…," he murmured.

 _"You're too careless, you know? Next time we meet, I'll set an alarm on your cell phone that will properly remind you and bind your pill box to your wrist with a ribbon so that you don't lose them ever again,"_ Sho announced in a half joking, half serious tone.

"You're so caring about me," Kazunari answered sarcastically.

_"I'll watch over you, like always."_

"Ah, found them," the small pill box came into the young man's sight, lying on top of his desk and he quickly snatched it. "I'll go get some water."

 _"Good boy,"_ Sho teased him. _"By the way, I'm almost finished with work, just a little paper work left to do. Want to go out or something? Cinema maybe?"_

Kazunari, on the way through the corridors to the kitchen, blushed with the idea of sitting in the dark cinema next to his – yeah - _boyfriend_ watching him eating some popcorn with one hand, while his other hand would probably be occupied with holding his. He shook his head slightly to get out of his daydream. Looking out of the kitchen window and the lanterns switching on announced a pretty late hour already.

"Sounds really inviting but it's almost dark already, I think it's better if you head home quickly. It's dangerous outside. What about tomorrow in the early afternoon? Or do you have to work then?" Kazunari didn't completely memorize Sho's working schedule yet but he had learned during the past few weeks that the doctor could be pretty flexible sometimes.

 _"It should work, I think. Text me which movie you want to see and I'll do a reservation,"_ the doctor offered.

“Is this... an official _date_?” Kazunari asked shyly in a low voice, almost hoping Sho didn't hear his question.

 _”It is,”_ Sho agreed. Of course he had heard the other. _”Finally. And I'm looking forward to it already.”_

Kazunari blushed.

Then, after a small pause during which Kazunari was reaching into the kitchen's cupboard to get a glass, Sho asked carefully. _"Another topic… it bugs me, so I wanted to ask you, why do you hate your father so much?"_

"Well... He’s a playboy," Kazunari said, not caring about the sudden jump of topics, while filling his glass with water for his medication.

 _"That’s a reason to hate him?"_ the older man wondered.

Kazunari sighed and took the glass with him to make himself comfortable on the living room couch. "You know that my brothers and I have different mothers, right?"

 _"Yes, I supposed so if you share your father,"_ Sho answered.

"All of them were human women. They were nice and beautiful, at least that’s what I get from the pictures I saw of them," Kazunari continued, remembering the picture books his brothers had often showed him. "I never got to know my mother though…"

 _"What happened?"_ Sho asked in a soft voice.

"I think she got chased away from the vampire clan after my birth or something like that. Maybe, she's dead. I don't know it and my father never told me," Kazunari answered, suddenly overwhelmed by the usual irritation that he got when he thought about that fact.

 _"Sounds pretty tough,"_ Sho said, concerned.

It wasn't that Kazunari was particularly _hurt_ about the fact that he didn't know his mother or what might have happened to her. But the thought of a young woman being chased away, being forced to leave behind her baby, maybe even getting killed by the clan of vampires, made him sad and felt sorry for that unknown woman. And he couldn't help but imagine how his life would have looked like if he had grown up in a _normal_ family, with _normal_ parents. Like a _normal_ human being. But fact was, he wasn't normal.

"Do you know what it is like to grow up as the child of a vampire and a human woman? You’re worth nothing," the young man started, sounding bitter. "Your human parent has to leave, they are not allowed to stay with the vampire, not inside the clan. The children – bastards – I think, usually they would be killed, if my father wasn't against it and fought for us. But… can you imagine what it was like to grow up there… without a mother, your father not being there most of the time, and in between all those vampires who literally despised you? Further, I was really weak as a child, even weaker than I am now. If my brothers hadn’t protected me, I might not be alive today."

Sho made an understanding sound. _"Sounds like it was really tough for you three. Good thing you and your brothers had each other."_

"I don't like to admit it but I owe them a lot. I wished I could pay them back somehow but honestly, I'm just being useless here," Kazunari sighed.

 _"Don't say that. You're family, aren't you? I'm pretty sure you would have done the same thing for them like they did for you. That's what family is for, isn't it?"_ Sho asked and the half-vampire had to agree silently. _"And that's also why I think you should try to be on good terms with your father too... well, I don't know how he is as a vampire of course and maybe he wasn't always there for you guys but didn't he somehow do his part as a father too? At least, Satoshi mentioned something about your father inventing the blood pills you're taking."_

True, but… "That was one reason why he wasn’t there most of the time. I know it’s _my_ fault that he couldn’t be with me and my brothers, he went on journeys to find out how to cure my illness," Kazunari pouted.

_"Isn’t that what a good father does for his child?"_

"If he was a _good_ father, he just should have stayed with us, with my brothers," the young half-vampire said, surprised by his own honesty. He had never told anybody these thoughts, not even his brothers, even if they probalbly knew that he felt like this about their situation. But with Sho, it was different somehow. He felt like he could really trust this man. "They didn’t deserve growing up without a father just because of me. He should have chosen them and support them instead of wanting to find a cure for his most useless child..."

 _"But that might have ended with you dying!"_ the doctor scolded. _"Nobody would have been happy with that so stop talking such crap!"_

"I didn’t care. I would have preferred to die than to see my brothers sad," further confessions spilling out of Kazunari's mouth.

Sho sighed. "I know… You thought you were the cause of the problem… I really hope I can make you get rid of this thinking. Even if it means that you only wanted to take a burden off your brother's shoulders when you wanted to die and this readiness to sacrifice yourself showed how pure you are and how much you love them. That's gorgeous and I love you for that. However, don’t _ever_ think of yourself as a burden please!"

Kazunari blushed, ignoring the praising that was underlying the soft scolding, since he didn't really know how to deal with that. "I – It's just, it's everything I remember from my childhood. That my mother wasn’t there, that my father wasn’t there, that I was sick most of the time and that my brothers were sad even if they tried to be happy in front of me and protected me."

 _"I’m sure they did it because they love you,"_ Sho tried his best to ensure him.

"I’m not worthy being loved," the other man voiced his fear.

 _"You are. They decided you are, so you are,"_ the doctor said, determined. _"You might be grumpy and have trouble with social behavior but this doesn't change the fact that you're a good soul worthy to be loved. That's what they see in you and I am with them, I think so too."_

"…And I _still_ don’t get why all of you care that much about me," Kazunari blushed deeply as he heard those words from the other, this indirect confession. A few weeks ago, he might not have cared about such words but now, things were different. Now when he heard such things, it made his heart jump and he felt warm and happy. This was a new experience, something he did not fully understand yet.

_"You still think of yourself as a burden and I told you to stop that, Kazunari-kun, really! Just accept that there are people who like you. It's our free will, it's our right to do so. I really like you. I mean it."_

Sho's serious, deep voice triggered goosebumps of pleasure on Kazunari's arms. "Stop making me blush, Sho-san!" the young man grabbed a pillow from the couch, pressing it close to his chest and hid his face in embarrassment. This was just too much for his heart to take.

 _"You're smiling right now, aren’t you?"_ Sho chuckled. _"I really like your smile, you know? Back then, I wondered what to do to make you smile but I couldn't succeed… only now after all these years, finally…"_

Suddenly, Kazunari froze. Wait… What did Sho say just now? Didn't they know each other only for a few weeks? Or was Kazunari actually right with his assumption that they might have met much earlier? But, how was it possible that he didn't remember? And if it really was the case, why didn't Sho tell him earlier that he knew him? Or was he just misunderstanding?

"After all these years?" he murmured into the cell phone, maybe too quiet for Sho to hear because the other didn't react to it and just continued flattering the young half-vampire.

 _"Ah, and you’re so cute when you blush! It's a pity I can't see you right now. I bet, I'd kiss you on the spot!"_ Sho chuckled.

"I won’t let you kiss me, forget it! I’m not ready yet!" Kazunari panicked, brushing away his former thoughts. There would be enough time to get behind what Sho was talking about later, they had all time in the world.

 _"Not yet, huh? That means, sooner or later you will be. Damned, you’re too cute when you’re shy,"_ the doctor was obviously amused and totally in flirting mood. 

"Oh, shut up!" was everything, Kazunari could reply. Maybe he was even looking forward to the day of their first kiss too but for now, the half-vampire couldn't think about that. It was just too embarrassing.

 _"Alright, I'll shut up about your cuteness,"_ Sho gave in. _"So back to topic. Your father invented those pills for you then. He didn’t stay with you afterwards?"_

"I was about 20 already back then, me and my brothers, we lived together, apart from the clan and we were not used to living with him." Kazunari tilted his head. "I guess, it would have been awkward and so he went back to travelling the world for… I don’t know what exactly, maybe he was searching for a new woman? He's an adventurer."

_"But in the end everything went well? You didn’t want him to live with you, so it was OK like that?"_

"Probably," the half-vampire agreed.

 _"Nevertheless you still resent him,"_ Sho summed up. _"Maybe, it’s time to let go of the past, Kazunari-kun. You guys are here now. And you have a nice house, you have each other and you have me. I’ll make you forget the sad past, we’ll be so busy with being happy that you won’t even have time to think about it, I promise!"_

"You’re such a sweet-talker," Kazunari chuckled but somehow, Sho's words felt like they would heal a very old scar inside his chest. "You just want me to kiss you next time we meet, don’t you?"

Sho hummed, the sound felt like honey to the young half-vampire's ears. _"No, I mean it. I'll do everything to make you happy. And about the kiss… Don't worry, I’ll wait until you’re ready, whenever this might be."_

Kazunari's heart melted away and he would like to chat with Sho a bit longer on the phone but suddenly, he got distracted by the sound of the entrance door. Just a second later, Satoshi showed up in the living room, panting and as pale as chalk, looking at his brother. The young half-vampire got alarmed. 

“Satoshi, what's wrong?” he asked, still the phone at his ear.

 _”Kazunari-kun? Is everything OK? Did something happen with your brother?”_ Sho asked worried.

“Ah, Sho-san, I'm sorry,” the younger answered distracted, his eyes still glued on his brother who seemed exhausted and desperate. “I'll call you back later, alright?”

_”Kazunari-kun? Wait, what i-”_

The young half-vampire had already ended the phone call and stood up, walking to his brother to touch his arm slightly. “Hey, Sato-nii, what happened?”

“Kazu,” the older started, still catching his breath. “They - they have Yui, the vampires, I mean. They have Yui but they didn't tell me where, I ran through the whole village for the whole day, I can't find her, I can't locate them, Kazu, what should I do?”

“What, they have Yui-chan?” Kazunari asked shocked, putting both of his hands on his brother's shoulders but he knew that panicking wasn't helpful at all at the moment and so he tried to pull himself together. “OK, calm down. You say the vampires got her? Why, when? Isn't she supposed to be out of town? Did you see that in your dreams?”

“No, no my dreams are just useless lately...,” Satoshi shook his head and finally sunk against the backrest of the couch, seeking a little support. “They contacted me last night before sunrise and announced to me that they have her and they will bring her somewhere close to our home and that I'm supposed to find them just after sunset or they will harm her.”

So that must be why Satoshi was gone already this morning when Kazunari came out of his room. Not that he was surprised, he was used to his brother's infrequent coming and going, either he was gone to town visiting girls (even if the only girl he visited lately had been Yui), shopping, meeting the agent for his paintings or whatnot his brother would do to spend his days. Anyway, this wasn't important right now. Important was, what Satoshi said about the vampires. He had sent Yui away, Kazunari knew that, if they caught her that must have been in Osaka. They said they would bring her here so that Satoshi could meet her after sunset. This would mean...

“Wait, that means they must be here already, right?” Kazunari concluded. “They can't move during the day.”

“That was my assumption too that's why I tried to find them but no luck and I have no idea where else I should search for them. Maybe they tricked me?” Satoshi sounded panicked.

“Where did you look for her already?”

“I – I don't know, everywhere I could think about. In the neighborhood, in her apartment, in some night clubs where they might have found shelter maybe, I even searched in the nearby little wood but no,” the older brother listed, desperately.

Kazunari sighed and tried to think. “Are there any other places that come to mind? I don't think they'll bring her into busy places, even at night, it would be too risky... and it must be a place where they could hide. Some old vacant building maybe?”

Satoshi took a short breath, looking at his brother, dumbfounded. “The old factory! Why didn't I think about it before?”

“See?!” his younger brother clapped his hands. “That would be a possibility.”

“I have to check it,” the older answered hurriedly. “Oh, and I have to call Ohkura!” he said more to himself than to his brother and rummaged for his phone in his jeans' pocket.

“Who?” Kazunari asked puzzled.

“Ohkura. He’s Yui's cousin. And before you panic, Yui told him about us, yes, but she trusts him, so we can trust him too,” Satoshi exclaimed when he saw his brother's critical look. “He and his friends came from Osaka to help me find her.”

“Came to _help_? Wait, but aren't they humans?”

“They are.”

Kazunari stared at his brother in disbelief. “Wait, so even before asking your brothers for help, you let _them_ help you? I know, I'm useless but if they are just humans… What if they get killed?”

“It wasn't my idea, Ohkura said they are used to such situations,” the older explained quickly, still waiting on the phone until Tadayoshi picked up. “Ah, Ohkura-kun? You're still around, aren't you? I think we should check the old factory, maybe they hold Yui there. Do you need the address for your navigation system? It's not hard to find, you just -” Satoshi finished explaining the directions and agreed with the man on the phone to meet a bit away from there, so that they wouldn’t get spotted right away, as soon as possible.

“OK, whatever, I won't ask any further,” Kazunari just said once his brother had finished the call. He would find out soon enough what was going on with those people. He brushed his hand over his face and took another deep breath. “So... let's go.”

“What?” Satoshi looked at him, shocked.

“I said, let's go,” the younger repeated, even if the nervousness in his voice came through clearly. “To the factory?”

“You want to come along?” the older asked surprised.

Kazunari took a deep breath. His heartbeat was speeding up, his eyebrows knitted. He was deadly serious. “Well... What do you mean by _want_ , I _have_ to come along, I have to help you with Yui-chan after all. How many vampires are they did you say, four, five? Do you think I will let my brother go there alone?”

Satoshi lifted his hand to scratch his forehead. “Wow, Kazu, I… I don't know what to say about this... that's really brave of you but I can't take you there, it's too dangerous for you!”

“It's dangerous for you too!” the younger protested, obviously worried about his brother.

“I appreciate your intentions, Kazu but, no!” Satoshi chuckled a bit desperately before he became serious again, searching for the right words. “You... you really changed and I appreciate this but I'm your older brother and I'm responsible for you, I don't want to drag you deeper into this.”

“I'm not a child any longer, Satoshi. I'm your brother and I want to help you. I might be a coward but maybe there's something I can do to help and if I just... run away to _get_ some help or something like that,” Kazunari tried to convince his brother. He knew that he might not really be of help but the thought of letting his brother go right into the lion's cave on his own while sitting here twisting his thumbs, sounded even worse to him. “We'll go ahead and then... when sun goes down, we'll call Dad there and he will help us.”

“…Now _that_ sounds more like a plan to me,” the older man admitted after hesitating for a few seconds. Under these circumstances, he would consider taking his brother along. “Where's Masaki, by the way?”

“He's with the Matsumotos right now.”

“Oh, is he?” Satoshi asked surprised. “I thought he and Jun broke up?”

Kazunari shrugged his shoulders. “Some kind of family trouble with Ai-chan came up and Jun called for his help.”

“So much to breaking up, ne?” the older brother smirked, maybe, they worried too early for those two.

“I guess, it's complicated,” Kazunari murmured. “Anyway, I suggest we leave him a message so that he doesn't worry about where we are. So?”

“Alright,” Satoshi nodded and waited until his little brother had finished writing a message, which he left on the coffee table in the living room before following the other man. “Let's get us some weapons and then let's go.”

**TBC**


	15. To the Rescue!

When the young woman finally opened her eyes again, it was pitch black around her and her head was hurting like hell. Her mind felt like it was covered with mist and the world around her, which she couldn't really make out in the dark, felt like it was spinning around. She lifted her head, trying to suppress the urge to throw up and she squinted her eyes to fight the burning pain in her forehead that threatened to overwhelm her. When she wanted to reach her hands up to her head, she realized that she was tied to the chair she was sitting on. It took her a few more seconds until she remembered what happened and until she realized what was actually going on.

"Oh damned…," she murmured, letting escape a silent painful moan, hearing fragments of her own voice breaking somewhere and coming back to her as an echo.

Still, she couldn't really see much, her eyes having a hard time adjusting to the darkness. She looked around, trying to identify her surroundings. Where was she and how much time had passed since she lost consciousness? She wasn't in the backyard of her uncle's house any longer, that much was clear.

A chuckling female voice could be heard from nearby, on the left from the victim, or was it right from her? She couldn't really locate it, but the chuckle made her feeling nervous and the worst - it was coming closer. The hostage sharply pulled in some air and again tried to focus on her surroundings, finally making out some silhouettes thanks to the very weak light shining from above. She quickly darted her eyes up, it must be the moon's light, possibly hidden behind some clouds, that made its way into the building through some high windows. Her eyes wandered back, facing in front of her, she figured that she seemed to be in some kind of vacant hall, maybe a factory. Was she even still in Osaka? Or did they bring her back home already, close to her boyfriend, as they announced? Maybe it was the old factory, a bit outside of town.

"Finally awake?" the female voice suddenly whispered right into the victim's ear.

The young woman cringed in surprise, she didn’t hear the creature approaching at all, no footsteps, no rustling of clothes. Did that woman even _walk_?! And who was she anyway, was she the one that the two vampires wanted to please by kidnapping her?

"Who are you? Where are we?" the hostage asked, trying to suppress the nervousness that made her voice shake. How long was she being trapped here already, she wondered?

"Guys, turn the light on so that our guest can see,” the female voice commanded before she exaggerated a sigh. “Ha~, these poor human beings with their poor eyesight..."

Just a second later a flash light standing a few meters away got switched on. The hostage squinted her eyes to escape the pain caused by the sudden brightness. Shortly after, when the young woman opened her eyes again, she spotted the dark silhouette of the woman in front of her, two others a bit further behind, most likely the two men that caught her. The bright light was in the woman's back, the hostage couldn't clearly see her face, which was lying in the shadows.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I surprise you?" the woman asked in a faked sweet sing-song voice, coming a few steps closer. She reached out with one hand, putting a finger underneath her victim's chin and pushed it slightly to make her look up into her face. The beautiful features of the woman became clearer just very slowly. "A-ra-ga-ki Yu-i-chan…"

"Again, who are you?" the young woman asked again, trying to sound calm.

"Is the question more _who_ we are, or _what_ we are?" the woman chuckled, pressing Yui's chin so much that it was starting to hurt. "I'm pretty sure, you know that at least, don't you?"

"I can see that you’re no human beings," the victim answered with clenched teeth. "You’re the vampires Satoshi talked about, aren’t you?"

"Brave little girl, you know that much already," the female vampire answered, the changing shadows on her face indicating a smile. "Are you scared now?"

"…," Yui didn't answer and just gulped down the lump forming in her throat.

"However, it would be very impolite if we didn’t introduce ourselves, right? After all, we already know your name and everything, right?” the female vampire chuckled again, easing the grip on her prey's chin and she went a few steps back. “So, my name is Mao. I’m the daughter of great Kusanagi Tsuyoshi and these -,” she pointed her arm to the back, the two other silhouettes waving, one of the vampires giggling amused, “- are his nephews Subaru and Yu. You might not know my father but he’s pretty famous in our world, you see?"

"Famous for what?" Yui whispered.

"A little human girl like you wouldn’t understand so I spare you the details. Anyway, you might wonder why we kidnapped you."

"I don’t know…?" Of course she knew that the vampires were targeting Satoshi and his brothers. And she would be the stool pigeon. She was pretty sure, if the vampires wanted to kill her, she would be dead by now. Which meant at least, they didn't want to kill her. Not yet.

"I’m here to take you away from your beloved Satoshi," Mao giggled. "And I want him to watch."

"I can assume so, but why? What's your plan?"

The female vampire tilted her head. "I want to crush him. I want to take everything from him that he loves and you are part of that."

"Why?" Yui asked, desperate. “What did he do to you that you wish for something like that?”

"He’s a damned half-blood, that's enough of a good reason!” the vampire hissed, her voice filled with hatred. “He’s not meant to live in this world, he’s a bastard. He and his brothers are."

"That doesn’t mean that they don’t have the right to live! It’s not their fault what they're born as," the other woman shot back, surprised by her braveness but she was feeling somehow protective over her boyfriend and his brothers and didn't want anybody to talk bad about them. Satoshi had told her about his past, about his background and she felt sorry for what the brothers had to go through just because the vampires couldn't accept them the way they are. But wasn't pushing them out of the community enough?

"Anyway, as half-bloods they’re worth nothing, they are just taking away delicious blood that would be ours otherwise. Like yours," Mao said, letting her hand from Yui's chin to her throat just to draw back her hand a little then as she felt some kind of sting running through it. "Damned, what's that?!"

"Get away from me!" Yui yelled.

The female vampire frowned and reached out to pull off the scarf that was still hanging around Yui's neck, revealing the silver necklace with the crucifix that she received from Satoshi. She chuckled. 

"Oh now _that_ 's really cute, isn't it? He gave you a talisman. As if this would stop me from killing you if I wanted…" the vampire suddenly vanished, just to reappear right behind Yui. "Well, I might not get to your neck right away but you know… I always find a way to get what I want."

"Don’t touch me!" Yui started to sound a bit hysterical as she felt the sharp fingernails of the vampire scratching over her wrist, opening the thin wound that was there already again.

Mao sighed as she looked at the thin red line reappearing along the young woman's skin but she knew that it was too early to fall into blood lust. She couldn’t risk the fun of watching the bastard suffering just to taste that woman's blood now. Quickly, the vampire jumped into a corner of the factory, Yui could hear the squeal of a mouse or a rat before the noise died down and Mao came back, wiping a few red drops from the corner of her mouth. She pulled a face for a second and Yui mirrored the disgusted expression.

"What?! You think it's disgusting? And when your boyfriend drinks from you and his lips are covered in blood you like that? You freak! Be happy that I hadn’t tasted you already, this little thing was only enough for a snack but definitely not a delicacy as _you_ will be once it's your turn..."

+++++

It was just around the same time when an old car parked near the old factory, Satoshi and Kazunari sitting in it. The older just pulled off the car's key and turned his head to watch his brother clenching to the seat belt and looking straight ahead through the front glass with a deadly serious look on his face.

"Are you sure that you don't want to wait here in the car?" Satoshi asked, concerned.

Kazunari pulled in some air and nodded, his look still fixed outside. “I'm sure,” he said, trying to sound brave.

“You can wait here, you know? I'd understand and I'll be back together with Yui in a few minutes anyway.”

“I'm fine and I'm coming along,” the younger brother repeated, this time sounding more determined.

“Alright,” Satoshi nodded. “But then you have to take off your seat belt so that you can get off the car, you know?”

“Oh, of course... I know that!”

When the two half-vampires got off the car, Satoshi examined the area quickly, as if he was searching for something. His brother gave him a questioning look.

"I was looking for Ohkura and his friends. Seems they aren't here yet," Satoshi said. "Let's go ahead, they'll be here soon, I guess."

Kazunari nodded and the two went toward the old vacant building, fast but as quiet as possible in order not to attract any attention for now. There was light inside of the huge old building that was built from bricks. Probably the proof that the vampires were really holding Yui hostage in there. When Satoshi hunkered down close to the entrance, Kazunari did the same right next to him, unconsciously grabbing his brother's jacket.

“You can still go back, if you're too scared, Kazu...,” Satoshi whispered.

“Shut up, I'm here to protect you.”

Satoshi gave his little brother a critical look and couldn't help but find him cute. He was trying hard for his brother's sake and that was something new to the young man's character, something adorable. “Then stop shaking, Braveheart.”

The older brother then tried to focus his listening on the events taking place inside of the old factory. His ears were good and he could catch two female voices, one of them definitely his girlfriend’s but it was hard to understand what they were talking about.

“You have your weapon?” he asked Kazunari who was equipped with a baseball bat while Satoshi had brought along a knife and some garlic stuffed in his pockets. 

They weren't really well prepared but it was everything they could have come up with so quickly. Maybe they really had been too careless these past few years, trusting the agreement their father had made with their clan to keep them safe. There wasn't much in the house they could use to protect themselves against a serious vampire attack. Something they definitely would have to improve later on…

“You want to go in there already?” the younger slightly panicking.

“Yeah, that's what we're here for after all.”

“Just give me two more minutes to prepare mentally.”

“Hurry,” Satoshi whispered, stressing.

Suddenly, Kazunari's cell phone rang and the two brothers startled in shock.

“Fuck, Kazu, didn't you mute your phone?” the older brother hissed.

“Sorry, I totally forgot.”

Satoshi rolled his eyes. “So much to our silent approach... who is it, Masaki?” he asked.

“No… it's Sho-san...,” Kazunari murmured, checking the display.

“So pick up or press him away, quickly and _mute_ your phone or they'll hear us if they didn't already,” Satoshi pushed his brother slightly.

Kazunari struggled with himself for a moment. Of course, it wasn't the time for phone calls now but... what if – much likely after all - something happened to him inside of the factory and he wouldn't have the chance to hear Sho's voice ever again? Quickly, the young man turned away and picked up the phone call, keeping his voice low.

“Sho-san, hey,” he said, whispering.

 _“Kazunari-kun, why are you whispering? Is really everything OK with Satoshi-san? And you? Where are you right now?”_ Sho was worried about them, he was so cute, Kazunari thought, his heart clenching.

“Kazu...,” Satoshi suddenly pulled at his brother's shirt and when the latter turned around, there were two men dressed all in black standing in front of them, one wrapped into his black coat while the other had crossed his arms in front of his chest and was smirking at the two brothers, confident of their victory.

Kazunari froze. They had been caught. And it was probably his fault. He gulped. Damned.

“Ah, Sho-san,” the half-vampire started, pretending that nothing had happened. The last thing he could need now was a panicking boyfriend or bringing Sho into danger. “Please don't worry, everything's fine,” he said, feeling bad for telling the other a lie. “Thanks for worrying. I'm busy right now but I'll call you tomorrow, alright? Sleep well.”

His eyes still darted at the two vampires, the young man ended the phone call without waiting for any further reaction from the caller. When he wanted to put it back into his pocket, the taller one of the vampires reached out and faster than Kazunari could react, he had snatched away his phone and crumbled it with almost no effort between his fingers. The crushed remains of the device fell to the ground and the brothers gaped at the vampire but he just tilted his head.

“I think you'll call nobody, not tonight, not tomorrow, ever,” the stranger chuckled, his insanity clearly hearable. “Come on in with us, the party has already started. Mao-chan and Yui-chan are waiting for you...”

\-----

"This' it?" Yasuda Shota, a young man, pretty short and his hair hidden under a baseball cap asked critically as he stepped out of the van, followed by his two companions. "Ya're sure?"

Ohkura checked the display of his cellphone again. "It's the address Ohno-san sent me…," he murmured.

"Looks kinda spooky…," the third man stated, looking at the old brick-stone built factory, still a bunch of meters from where they had parked, hidden in the dark. "Yui-chan's really in there?"

Ohkura sighed. "It's our first real trace. Don't ya get scared now."

His friend, Maruyama Ryuhei, pouted, shouldering his weapon again. "I _am_ scared, that's why I wanted to quit this job but now I'm here, doin' this just fa our sweet Yui-chan. Still can't believe she picked a freakin' vampire fa her boyfriend... not surprised she got into trouble."

"He's a _half_ -vampire," Ohkura corrected.

Ryuhei clicked his tongue. "Whatever, I'm depressed. When ya told me about it, I thought that guy must be 10 times cooler than me, if he managed to snatch away ma little Yui's heart from me but then he's just sucha small man..."

"Hey! He's taller than I am! And ya know that Yui-chan never liked ya the way ya liked her, don't ya?" Shota pointed out while he was searching for some equipment in the back of the van to distribute it to his colleagues who were already dressed in some dark protective suits – or at least what they _thought_ would protect them.

The closer someone looked at it, the clearer it was that this van was definitely not the one for a group of electricians, at least not on the inside. The vehicle was equipped pretty well with different weapons, protective clothing and other stuff, whatever someone might need to fight creatures of the night. There were guns, something that looked like a bazooka, knifes, short and long katana with silver blades, ninja like weapons, everything that would look quite dangerous in the wrong hands.

"I was her teenage crush!" Ryuhei protested, taking some stuff Shota was handing to him and stuffing it into his overall's pockets.

"You weren't, her teenage crush was ma Dad!" Ohkura chimed in.

Shota lifted one eyebrow as he put some last few shuriken into his chest pocket and started wrapping a white light scarf, provided with silver threads, around his neck, just like the others. "Gross…," he cringed his nose.

His friend smacked his head in response, immediately defending his cousin. "It's not, it was really cute and I think she just saw him as a father figure since her own Dad wasn't there most of the time."

"Then it's technically _not_ a crush but somethin' like a father's complex,” Ryuhei pointed out, dogmatic.

Ohkura rolled his eyes. "However, _technically_ ya didn't have a chance with her, never. That's the point. Was just yar wishful thinkin'."

"An' nevertheless I'm here to save her,” the other said proudly. “That's how pure ma love is."

"Talkin' big's well 'n' good but now it's getting' serious! Take care, guys, will ya? Especially _you_ , Shota, last time ya almost killed yarself with that huge katana,” Ohkura said in a bossy tone, pointing at his small friend who grabbed the handle of his weapon and looked at him slightly offended.

"Hey, only _almost_!" he protested but then, looking a bit concerned at his sword. He murmured something indecipherable and quickly turned back to the van, exchanging the katana with a huge pistol filled with silver bullets.

"C'mon now, we need to save our princess 'n' kill some vampire assholes," Ohkura ordered and turned to run toward the old factory, the others following him.

“Roger!”

+-+-+

Kazunari didn't want to admit it but he had never been this scared in his life, including the time when he was a teenager, his father had left him and his brothers and he feared they could get killed by their own relatives. Or when he almost died from his blood allergy or the time when he ran away to die and woke up some days later back home with a huge black out filling his mind. Or when he got attacked by that vampire lately and Sho saved him... however he had managed to do that. 

Kazunari feared a lot of things right at this moment. He feared that he and his brother would get hurt, he feared that the vampires did something to his brother's girlfriend or will do something to her. He feared that he would never see Sho again. He shivered.

“Mao-chan, look what we found, cute little scaredy cat and his big brother!” the vampire who had grabbed Kazunari's arms and was twisting them behind his back as he pushed him inside of the old factory, giggled hysterically.

He and the other vampire, who had captured Satoshi and was treating him not any better, shoved their preys in front of them, until they arrived in the middle of a gigantic hall. It was empty, just a flash light and two people, one of them sitting on a chair – no, _bound to_ a chair – in between of old broken machines and dust.

“Yui!” Satoshi immediately screamed and the figure on the chair moved, as if she wanted to get up and run toward him but of course, she couldn't.

“Satoshi!” she screamed back, her voice breaking into a desperate sob. “Why did you come here, it's a trap, don't you know that?”

“But...,” the half-vampire started.

It was the female vampire, who finished his sentence, “...I would have killed you if he didn't show up here. Be thankful to your lover, young girl.”

“I don't want you to hurt him!” Yui yelled at Mao who then burst out into laughter, obviously amused about the whole drama going on.

“Too cute you two but you know what? In the end both of you will be hurt,” she turned around to the half-vampires, still captured by her footmen. “No, not only you. Also your brothers and the neighbors, all of you...” The female vampire made a snapping gesture with her head. “Chain the one onto the steel pillar there – don't bitch around or I'll kill your girlfriend right away, I warn you - and bring me the cute kitten you have cat there,” she ordered and her cousins obeyed.

“Nii-chan!” Kazunari yelled, but when he tried to escape, going to his brother for help, his arm got twisted painfully and he knelt down onto the dirty floor, whimpering.

Satoshi tried to fight the vampire but the other was strong, too strong and so it didn't take long until his hands were crossed behind the broad, rusty pillar, an old dirty rope squeezing his skin, rubbing his bones together. He cursed and the rope burned his skin painfully. He maybe would have managed to free himself, if he did not fear that the female vampire could really kill Yui on the spot and so, even if not willingly, he let himself get tied up. He screamed in frustration though, bared his teeth, hissed like a wild animal, in a manner his younger brother or his girlfriend had never seen him before. He might never have been so angry before. The frustration was overwhelming and he angrily stomped his feet onto the dusty ground when the vampire who had just tied him to the pillar went toward Kazunari, leaving the older brother behind, doomed to watch the scene for now, no matter what they were planning to do.

The vampire reached down to grab the collar of Kazunari's coat and pulled him up before dragging him towards Mao who was still standing there without moving, her long black hair falling over her shoulders and her slender body hidden underneath her dark coat. She grinned devilishly when the others came to halt in front of her, showing her their prey. The woman snickered, baring her long fangs and her eyes lit up in a flashy red just for a second, showing her amusement.

“Look at this...,” she murmured. “So you're the famous little bastard-brother who can't drink blood, aren't you? It's the first time we meet so let me introduce myself and my people to you. My name is Kusanagi Mao, I'm the only daughter of great clan leader Kusanagi Tsuyoshi and these are my cousins, Yuu and Subaru,” she gestured with her hand towards the two men holding Kazunari hostage. “I'm not surprised if you never heard of us, I found out that you and your brothers lived so excluded from the vampire world that you might know nothing at all and it wouldn't surprise me. By the way, in case you don't know her – since your brother kept her secret, didn't he? - I may also introduce this woman to you.”

The female vampire pointed at Yui. The young woman's face was drawn with teary lines down her cheeks and her look nervously shot back and forth between Kazunari and Satoshi who was still trying to free himself, howling in frustration.

“This is Aragaki Yui, also known as the half-vampire bastard's bitch,” Mao said in a dismissive tone before she darted her look back to her other hostage. “Now introduce yourself properly to her, Kitty!”

When Kazunari hesitated, the vampire called Yu punched him his ribs, causing the young man to groan. “Do what she says,” the creature of the night hissed into his ear.

Kazunari lifted his head and faced the young woman sitting on the chair. He had never met her before but he had to admit that she was a real beauty. He felt sorry for her and guilty, knowing that it was his and his brothers' fault that she had fallen into such an unpleasant situation. He sighed.

“I'm Kazunari, Satoshi's younger brother. I'm sorry that we have to meet under such circumstances, Yui-chan,” he said and immediately received another hard punch, this time directly into his stomach, full force.

Yui shrieked, Satoshi yelled that they shouldn't touch his brother and Kazunari doubled over, seeing stars. If the two vampires in his back hadn't pulled him back up straight, he might have collapsed onto the floor. He would have thrown up if something was inside of his tummy but as such he just retched, a bit of saliva drenching from his mouth as he coughed. The female vampire came closer and reached out her hand, putting it under Kazunari's chin, pushing it up to force him to look right into her eyes. She grinned again and then she turned her head to face Satoshi, who stared at her, fiercely.

"I have to admit, your little brother here is pretty cute despite his human half and his shitty blood allergy,” she said in her sing-song voice before focusing on her victim again, pushing his chin slightly as if she wanted so examine each side of his face in detail. She let her sharp fingernails run down Kazunari's throat. “I might consider transforming him into a _real_ vampire, maybe this will… cure him?"

"Don't you dare touch my brother! I warn you!" Satoshi groaned again but still he wasn't able to move. His wrists were burning like hell already but the rope didn't loosen up at all.

"Warn me? Good joke, so what will you do to me? You couldn’t stand against me, even if you were not tied to a pillar, little man."

"Mao-chan is it even possible, turning a half-vampire?" one of the vampires, Subaru, finally asked, concerned.

The female vampire tilted her head. "Well, I haven’t hear yet about a vampire turning a half-vampire, so maybe it works, maybe it will go wrong, maybe nothing will happen at all. But I'm curious and it’s worth a try, isn’t it?"

"What if his dirty blood is… poisoned or something?” Subaru appalled. “You want to risk your life for a bastard?"

"Well, in this case, _you_ will have to suck his blood. Or are you too scared?"

The vampire didn't answer but doubt was written all over his face.

"Forget it,” Mao waived off. “I'll do it myself. A half-blood cannot defeat me, especially not with his _blood_. Come here, Kitty, I can really use such a cute servant."

"Don't touch me!" Kazunari yelled. He had recovered a bit, and started panicking slightly. He tried to move away but again, he couldn't match with the strength of the vampires holding him.

"Shut up, half-blood!" Yu said cockily as he tighten his grip around his hostage's wrists and twisted them in a painful manner again. He grinned when Kazunari let escape a painful scream. He pushed him further into Mao's direction, almost making him bump into her.

The female vampire giggled. "I’m pretty sure, you're secretly _yearning_ to become a _real_ vampire. Aren't you sick of your half-blood troubles? It must be tough to be stuck with your vampire talents only half developed - oh no, wait, as far as I'm informed you do not have any talents at all - and not worthy enough to get loved by a real vampire. I feel sorry for you, you know? It's my grace that will probably save you."

"Don’t touch him!" Satoshi freaked out.

"Don’t make it look like you’re a generous person now, please! Let him go!" Yui yelled, tears flooding her eyes as the fear about what might happen to Satoshi's brother overtook her.

Kazunari stumbled, pushed by the vampire that was still twisting his hands from behind. When he struggled again, he got thrown into the dust at Mao's feet and she hunkered down to pull his hair and force him to look up at her. She grinned but her grin vanished on an instant when the young half-vampire spit on her face.

"I don't need to be loved by a vampire, or to serve a vampire, especially not if it's such an ugly bitch like _you_ ," Kazunari hissed, provokingly.

Mao wiped away the young man's saliva and looked at him in surprise before getting back her composure. She hauled off her fist to punch Kazunari's chin, hard. The young man's face flew to the side, he could hear another worried scream from his brother. Yui squealing and Kazunari lost balance, landing in the dust again, tasting the dirt involuntarily. He moaned slightly and spat out before Yu pulled him by his shoulders to sit back up and he cursed at the slight taste of blood in his mouth mixing with the dirt. He spat again, a few bloodstains decorating the dirty ground. The strong grip on his shoulders started hurting and Yu just let go off him to bore his sharp fingernails into the outer side of Kazunari's thighs, causing some blood to stain his trousers. The pain paralyzing his feet, he couldn't move at all, he was helplessly extradited to that freaking bunch of vampires...

"Since you're so good-looking, young bastard, I'll forgive you. And I'll show you even more grace by letting you taste my blood even before I suck yours. You look so awfully pale, even for vampire-standards, I can't risk to lose you after the first sip. So come here and open your mouth, Kitty.”

When Mao pulled Kazunari by his collar, he automatically dropped his head into his neck, looking at her, scared, helpless. The vampire girl bared her sharp fangs again and cut her own lip with one of it quickly, causing dark liquid forming pearls on the soft red skin. Kazunari bit his lower lip to keep his mouth sealed and pulled in the air sharply through his nostrils. His breath hitched and he shivered nervously as the woman bent over him, one hand starting to squeeze his jaw so hard that he couldn't bear it any longer and parted his lips, opening his mouth. She stood over him, looking down on him and placed her bloody lips just a few centimeters over Kazunari's wide opened mouth. The young half-vampire whimpered, hearing the shouts of his brother in the background only muffled, as if blurred by a wall. He tried to move backwards but the other vampires pressed his hands into his back, forcing him to hold still.

A red drop finally fell from Mao's lips, and landed on Kazunari's tongue, followed by another and another. The nasty taste spread through his mouth immediately, and when the female vampire lowered her lips to capture the young half-vampire's with hers, Kazunari wasn't sure which was worse, the bloody taste or the shocking fact that this woman was technically stealing his _first kiss_ right now. Something that the young man had wanted to keep safe for another person who was definitely not her! 

Now, not only the growing amount of fresh blood invading his mouth made him want to throw up in an instant, but also the feeling of the stranger's lips on his. Kazunari struggled, unsuccessfully. He felt small tears forming in the corners of his eyes, tears of anger and irritation. That taste in his mouth was worse than the smell of every blood conserve he had ever filled for his brothers. He felt dizzy, he felt sick. It was just disgusting.

Kazunari wanted to hold himself back from gulping down the blood that collected in his mouth but shortly before it spilled out from their lips, he automatically let it run down his throat and swallowed it. He whimpered, pressing his eyes close. Still there was more blood filling in his mouth, he almost gagged but the female vampire didn't seem to care.

Then, suddenly, a loud bang could be heard. Mao immediately broke the kiss and the other two vampires also whirled around, loosening the grip on Kazunari enough for him to seize the chance to escape or to at least bend over and empty his mouth and stomach immediately, freeing himself from the disgusting liquid. His body was shaking and he didn't pay attention to the blurred strange voices coming from the factory hall's entrance. When the floor around him was covered by a puddle of blood and his body felt lighter again, he got pulled back up by one of the vampires and could finally focus on what was happening. His breath still panting and there was still the slight nasty taste of the female vampire's blood on his lips, the young man spotted a group of three men dressed all in black and silver intruding the place.

“Hands over yar heads where we can see'em!” one of them, the tallest, standing in the middle, yelled, a huge bazooka-like weapon pointing at the group of vampires and their hostages.

Kazunari almost chuckled with that sentence that sounded too much like out of one of those police dramas he liked to watch from time to time, even if this person had a weird sounding dialect. Whoever this brave person might be, he most likely didn't know who he was talking to. Or did he? However, he didn't seem to be impressed with the scene that was in front of him.

“Tacchon?!” Yui asked in a surprised voice and Kazunari frowned at her. She _knew_ these guys?! 

The one called Tacchon, quickly nodded, seemingly to order his two companions to run forward, to circle the vampires. Each of the intruders now had a weapon pointed to one of the dark creatures, a bazooka, a large pistol and the other was holding something that looked like a huge long silver lance. Not sure, if he should feel safe or threatened now, Kazunari let his look jump from one of the guys to the other. Who the hell were these people, he wondered, frowning. Then he remembered the people Satoshi had mentioned before, Yui's cousin and his friends. These guys must be them but what were they? Were they normal human beings? The tall guy in the middle, pointing his bazooka in Mao's direction, spoke up again.

“Oh, guys, look, we got visited by some cute little vampire hunters,” Mao pointed out amused.

So that was it! They were vampire hunters, Kazunari realized, trying to remember everything he had ever read about such people. Human beings, trying to fight the creatures of the night. Only a handful of them were successful, most of them only catching weak vampires on their search for blood. If they were professionals? Kazunari had read about a few successful vampire hunters in the past, some of them eroded a whole clan but the vampires had become careful and there were fewer and fewer vampire hunters over the past decade. Furthermore, who would have thought that of all people the cousin of his brother's girlfriend and his friends followed this rare profession? And would they help him and Satoshi or would they just try to free Yui and slaughter the rest of them, the half-vampires included?

“Don't move, vampires! I'm Ohkura Tadayoshi and those are ma friends, Shota 'n' Ryuhei. As ya can see, we've weapons 'n' they are filled with silver bullets. The lance, ma friend's holdin' there's made of pure silver too 'n' ya wouldn't be the first he stabs with it,” he said in a serious voice. “We're here to free ma cousin 'n' friends so let 'em go an' we won't kill ya!”

Mao straightened up again and while she wiped away the last few stains of blood from her lips, she started laughing like a lunatic, as if she just had heard the funniest joke in her entire life. Her shrill laughter filled the factory hall, making the others cringe and feel at unease. This woman, even if she got threatened with a weapon bearing lethal munition for vampires, still seemed to be so full of herself, so sure that nothing would harm her, and that was scary. She just stood there, crossing her arms and laughing for minutes.

“Fine, take that little bitch if you want her but leave me my bastards,” she said once she recovered from her laughing attack.

“Ohkura, take her with you and flee!” Satoshi yelled at the tall guy, immediately.

“No, Satoshi, no, I don't want to leave you and Kazunari-kun behind,” Yui protested but Tadayoshi was determined to seal the deal.

“Untie her 'n' let her come over,” he ordered the female vampire in a bossy tone and he almost wanted to yell at her again when Mao pushed the order down to one of her cousins, making Yu let go off Kazunari and walk toward the chair the young woman was tied to.

As soon as Yui was free, Tadayoshi nodded at her, making her understand that she should come close to him. She looked at him, then at Satoshi and just when she wanted to turn and run toward her boyfriend, Yu appeared in front of her, blocking her way. One of Tadayoshi's companions yelled at him to stop and readjusted the direction of his pistol.

“I said the bastards stay! Now leave with her and never come back,” Mao yelled determined, her voice getting louder and louder with each word. “This is none of your business here!”

“It _is_ my business if you want to hurt my boyfriend!” Yui yelled at her but her cousin had already grabbed her on the shoulder and pulled her toward his chest to protect her.

“Quiet now Yui-chan, this's no good for ya, c'mon outside with us now!”

Still aiming their weapons at the vampires, the three intruders slowly retracted from their positions, obeying Mao's order. They went back to the factory hall's door, walking backwards until they reached the entrance. Tadayoshi looked into Satoshi's direction out of the corner of his eyes.

“Once she's safe, we'll come back to help ya, promise!” he said and then he started running, dragging Yui along and followed by his two friends.

Mao chuckled when she heard the screams of disagreement coming from Yui echoing in the empty building as her friends pulled her outside. She looked at Satoshi, who still had his angry look focused on her. “Well, _that_ was indeed unexpected. But not a big loss, getting rid of that girl. She was only a stool pigeon for you guys anyway. _You_ are the ones I want to see dead in first place. Too bad that you didn't bring your other brother along too…”

Satoshi again tried to free himself, burning in anger, but still without any success. Yu went closer to him and held one of his sharp fingernails at the half-vampire's throat. “Be quiet and watch, bastard.”

Mao snickered and turned to Kazunari again who was cowering on the ground kept in check by Subaru.

“So... where did we get interrupted?”

TBC


	16. Unexpected Support

Masaki, Jun and Ai in the meantime had no idea what was happening to their friends in the old factory, just a few miles away from them. Masaki still couldn't believe the joy he was experiencing over the reunion with the two people who had become such an important part of his life, and he wanted to make the best out of it. He was moved that despite having broken up with Jun so that he and his daughter could go their own way, far from the potential danger that came with knowing Masaki and his brothers, they both still held a deep trust toward him.

Ai had finally decided to come out of her room, lured by her father's promise to come back to town once the danger was over and Masaki's promise of a delicious hot chocolate. And that was, what the three of them were enjoying right now, sitting together on the living room's couch, Jun and Masaki framing the little girl who smiled at them, satisfied, while taking in the delicious scent radiating from the hot chocolate placed in her hands. The hot steam from the cups made them feel cozy and warm and the sweetness of the chocolate and sugar spread a pleasant feeling inside of their bodies and minds, replacing the angst and sorrow they had felt just a few hours ago. It would have been perfect, if things at other place weren’t going so terribly wrong right now and if the danger hadn’t decided to ruin also this sense of harmony soon.

However, for now, as if nothing had happened, the three of them had resumed to their common activities, hanging out together in the living room, chatting about everything under the sun, watching a family movie together, commenting it, laughing at the funny story. Ai's laughter filled the room and spread its usual warmth, making them feel home.

Masaki enjoyed the looks of Jun, filled with love and he could feel the desire that the other still held toward him. Blushing sheepishly, Jun had tried to hide it once or twice but with time passing by and understanding that Masaki wouldn't turn away from him, whatever he might do, he gave up trying to hide his feelings. They could almost read each other's minds anyway. And so, instead of pretending not to feel connected, Jun had resumed to allow body contact between them. They had settled their arms around Ai's shoulders from both sides, hugging the little girl in the middle, but they didn't let go of the chance to brush each other's bodies in that process too.

When the little girl had fallen asleep while watching a movie, like she used to do so often, Jun had laid her small body onto his lap, brushing her hair with the one hand, while he allowed his other hand to seize for Masaki's. The other immediately took it, intertwining their fingers, pressing slightly and he could swear that Jun must feel his exciting heartbeat, bumping through his whole body, in his fingertips. They had stopped talking for a while, but there wasn't much to say, everything they had to say was transferred through their eyes and touches, that was enough for them.

Maybe, the half-vampire thought hopefully, maybe they had not really broken up. They still were connected, there was still this strong bond between them, and the atmosphere was filled with peace as well as their mutual love for each other as well as the little girl. They could be such a perfect little family, if circumstances allowed it. Masaki sighed and with that, he finally broke the agreed silence between him and Jun.

"So when will you leave?" the young man asked, not daring to look at Jun right now.

After a second of silence, Jun tightened his grip around Masaki's fingers. "I've started to pack the most important things. I've contacted an old relative living a few hundred miles away from here, we will start our journey tomorrow in the early morning – as soon as sun rises."

The man could feel how Masaki was choking on his emotions, so much that his body had started to tremble. When the young man looked to his side, he saw the slightly wet eyes of his friend, who was trying so hard to hold back his tears. Jun's heart clenched.

"Look, Masaki," he started again and untwined his fingers, just to lift his hand and brush it over the other man's cheeks. "I don't want to leave either. I'd love to stay here with you and your brothers, but you said yourself, it's better if we leave for now. I'd love to take you along with me, really, but we don't know if you wouldn't get followed and you need to stay here with your brothers anyway, right?"

There was no hope in Jun's voice, Masaki noticed, because the other knew that this wasn't an option. As much as it would tear the half-vampire apart when he came up with the idea of joining his friend and the little girl, he of course had come to the conclusion that it was impossible for him to risk making Jun and Ai a target and leave his brothers behind. They were family, they had to stick together.

"I'll try my best to fight and once everything is over, I'll go and bring you back, I promise, and then we will be a big, happy family," Masaki said, fighting away his tears with a loving smile.

Jun smiled back and now, his face was expressing hope. He brushed Masaki's cheeks again and leaned a bit toward him, slightly shifting his daughter's position to make it easier for him to move. He had laid his fingers underneath Masaki's chin, holding his face in place, making him look directly into his eyes. He bent forward, narrowing the space between them until they could feel their breaths mixing.

"I might be selfish, but please allow me to kiss you for a last time before we have to say good bye for real," Jun whispered, his eyes pleading, his breath panting against Masaki's lips.

He didn't wait for Masaki's permission or refusal, he didn't need to. The other had already closed his eyes and parted his lips slightly, ready to meet him halfway in their kiss. Their soft lips touched slightly and they shared open mouthed butterfly kisses, conveying the fragility and innocence that dominated their relationship right now, and Masaki was sure that this was the most intimate kiss they ever shared. They had a hard time keeping control over their bodies, drawing away from each other slightly, over and over, just to let their lips find each other again seconds later to share another kiss. Masaki's heart was overflowing with the love he felt for his man, love mixed with despair, angst, regret but also hope and this was what gave him the strength to keep on loving.

They shared whispers of promises and vows of love, before they decided that it was time to part. It was already dark outside and remembering his father's presence in their house, Masaki felt that it was finally time to go back home, even if he was dying to spend his night here at Jun and Ai's place, especially if this would be the last night they would spend together for quite some time. But Jun still had to finish preparations for his and Ai's departure and after he refused Masaki's help, the other didn't want to bother him any longer. The longer the good bye process took, the more it would hurt and they had put themselves through it once already.

Masaki convinced Jun to take a picture of the three of them together on the couch for him to use as a cell phone wallpaper and even if Ai was sound asleep, Jun agreed and chuckled, feeling amused. He loved this sometimes so carefree and positive attitude of his partner, it made things appear in a brighter light, despite the heavy atmosphere hovering over them. And then, when they exchanged a last kiss for tonight and the promise that Masaki would help Jun and Ai load the car the next morning when the sun rose, Masaki left. But this time, he only left the Matsumoto's house, not their lives.

Just a few minutes later he would find out _how_ close he actually came to leaving their lives too…

+-+-+

On another hand, when Sho lost the signal of Kazunari's phone, he was alarmed. The young man had sounded strange on the phone before and although he hadn't told Sho what was going on, it was crystal clear to the man that something was wrong. Quickly – not able to believe that he _really_ had to make use of this - Sho checked the last position data he had received from the transmitter he had applied to his boyfriend's phone. It came from a location a bit out of town, not too far away and if he hurried, he could be there in just ten or fifteen minutes. 

Sho ran to his bedroom, searching the back of a drawer for a weapon he was hiding there for emergencies like this. He checked the bullets – silver – and took it with him as he ran into the corridor to grab his keys. Hurriedly, he pulled on his coat and ran out of the house to jump into his car. He had to go there and check on them. His feeling told him that they were in trouble and most likely, the vampires that Kazunari had mentioned the other day were involved in this. He breathed in and out deeply, browsing his mind and trying to prepare mentally for all eventualities.

As soon as he arrived at the scene, he wasn't surprised to find an old vacant building but he was surprised to find not only one car parked a little away from it but also a van. It was bearing the logo of an electrician company from Osaka and three men were standing around it, dressed in dark clothes, talking to each other excitedly and armed with weapons. Puzzled, Sho frowned as he parked his own car just a few meters away from them. They didn't look like _vampires_ he thought and after hesitating for just a few seconds, he got out of the car, approaching them slowly, a bit confused.

The guys of course had already seen him coming and so it wasn't surprising when they were looking at the newcomer critically, focusing their weapons at him. Automatically, Sho lifted his hands to signal that he wasn't armed and didn't plan to do any harm to them.

One of them finally spoke up, it was a small guy, holding a pistol in both hands. "Who're ya and whatcha doin' here?"

Still, Sho had his arms in the air as he stopped in front of them. "That’s supposed to be _my_ line. I’m here to check on my friends."

"Ya're friends with... those vampires in there or with Ohno?" another man asked, using Osaka dialect too.

Who the hell were those people, Sho wondered. "Uhm, with Ohno-san and his little brother, to be exact."

"What are you, a vampire? A half-vampire? Human?" the third of the strange bunch asked bitchily, he was holding a bazooka and when he readjusted the heavy weapon on his shoulder, Sho cringed slightly, bending his knees in reflex.

"Wow wow, careful with that!” Sho exclaimed a bit nervous. “I'm human, OK? Do I look like a vampire to you?"

“He doesn't look like a vampire, na, Tacchon?” the smallest guy asked, darting a look over his shoulders to the tallest guy.

"Not really," the other answered and lowered his weapon. He took a few steps forward until he reached Sho. "However, ya can’t go in there right now, OK?"

"Why not?" Sho asked, finally dropping his hands.

"'Cause it’s dangerous," the tall guy asked.

"I guess that's why I'm here to check on my friends, as I told you."

"But ya said yarself, ya're human,” the guy repeated, looking at Sho as if that explained everything. “It’s too dangerous in there 'n' it’s not supposed to be somethin' where normal people like ya should barge into."

"If I’m normal, what are _you_?" Sho threw him a challenging look.

The tall guy came closer until only a few centimeters were left between him and Sho. He was quite a bit taller than him and so he looked down to meet the man's gaze. "My name's Ohkura Tadayoshi, me and ma friends are here to help ma cousin, Yui. We're vampire hunters. We were just about to find a new strategy to go back in there to help yar friends. So leave that to us 'n' go home. Better that way, believe me."

But Sho was stubborn and continued staring at the guy in front of him with a determined look. Vampire hunter or not, he wasn't a weak human either. "I won’t go home now, forget it. I have to see Kazunari."

"Ya might _die_ in there, don't ya get it?!” Tadayoshi hissed, pointing at the factory. “If ya're not a vampire hunter, ya don't have professional equipment like we have, ya don't have our knowledge or strength, do ya really think ya can go in there and help yar friends? I can't allow this. Go home or inside of our van, yar choice. Just don’t interfere with us 'n' stay behind!"

“Do you have weapons in there?” Sho asked, pointing at the van.

“'Course we do, why?” Tadayoshi gave him a puzzled look.

“I hope you don't mind if I borrow something,” Sho approached the van and reached to the handle to open the door. He turned to the others who were looking at him as if he was an alien. “I might not look like it but I'm actually a good fighter.”

The three man gaped at him but didn't argue any longer, just watching him as Sho climbed inside of the van. They couldn't believe that a normal human being could be so stubborn, willing to face the danger of meeting real vampires. Was that guy stupid? Weary of life? 

Sho was surprised to find a young woman inside of the van, she looked desperate and worried like hell. She frowned at him as Sho slightly nodded at her.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sakurai Sho, I'm a friend of the guys in there – not the bad guys of course - and you are...?" he started but didn’t keep his eyes on the woman as he started looking around to examine the vampire hunters' equipment. It was quite surprising what they had lined up there he had to admit.

"Ah,” the young woman finally saw the connection between her and the stranger in front of her. She bowed slightly. “I'm Aragaki Yui, I'm Satoshi's girlfriend."

"Oh, I heard about you, good to see you safe,” Sho answered before he took a closer look at some weapons, trying to find one that would fit his skills best. “I'm Kazunari-kun's... uhm... boyfriend."

“I see. Good luck with him, ne? I heard he's a little complicated," Yui answered.

Sho chuckled. As absurd as it might be under the given circumstances, somehow this seemed to turn into some kind of small talk between the two of them. "Well, I like challenges, you know? And he’s not that complicated once you know him a little. He’s great."

Yui smiled at the honesty and love that the man gave off but then, she frowned. "I hope they will be fine... Kazunari-kun didn't look well in there..."

"Tell me, what happened in there, are they hurt?" Sho stopped and looked at the woman again for a moment, worried.

"Satoshi got tied to a pillar... they threatened him to hurt me if he works against them,” Yui started to explain. “And that damned vampire bitch forced Kazunari-kun to drink her blood and he fell sick from that and threw up everything..."

"Oh no...," Sho sighed, he felt sorry for the young man.

"You know about his condition?" Yui asked. She had heard about it from Satoshi, of course.

"I do," the man nodded with a troubled face. The situation in there seemed to be worse than what he had feared it would be.

"Don't worry, my cousin and his friends will go back in there and take care of him and Satoshi!” Yui said, trying to comfort Sho. “They will protect Kazunari-kun. They will be fine, we have to trust them."

"I'll accompany them," Sho answered determined, looking around again and finally he seemed to find what he was looking for, picking up a long katana lying on the floor of the van among other things.

"What?! Aren't you just a normal human being, just like me, you wouldn’t stand a chance against those vampires!"

Sho let the blade slide out of its scabbard to check it, it looked sharp. Great. Much better than his small weapon, Sho thought, satisfied. He put it back, looking at Yui again. "I can't sit here and wait, not knowing if I might not be able to see him ever again! I'm experienced in Kendo among others and I know what's waiting in there. I'm not as much of a greenhorn as you might think, don't worry."

"You know this is crazy, don't you?!" the young woman asked, point-blank.

"Maybe..."

"I'll come with you, then," she suddenly burst.

"What?! Are _you_ crazy now?! No, didn't your cousin and his friends just rescue you?” Sho protested. “Don't make their efforts worthless, what should they think about that?"

Yui frowned, "But my boyfriend is still in there too! How do you think I feel about staying here, not able to do anything?!"

"They just saved you and I'm sure, Satoshi wants you to wait for him here. So please don't risk anything again and just stay here and wait for us," Sho begged her.

There were tears forming in Yui's eyes but then, she nodded. "Sakurai-san? Good luck and take care, please."

"Thanks, see you later,” Sho replied and turned to open the van's door again.

He jumped out, just to find one of the guys waiting for him with a strict face. He looked around, searching for the other two but most likely, they had returned to the factory already. Just when he wanted to go too, the guy remaining with the van – probably to protect Yui, Sho thought – put his arm onto Sho's shoulder, trying to hold him back.

"We said ya can’t go in there! I can't allow ya, that's against my ethic! And whatcha doin' with our katana?!" the vampire hunter glared at him.

At least, he wasn't aiming his bazooka directly at Sho this time, the other thought. "What's your name?"

"Maruyama Ryuhei," the man answered.

"No offence, Maruyama-san,” Sho said. “But you look like you're shivering from fear and you want to tell _me_ what to do? Give me a break!"

"Just 'cause I've got some respect fa vampires doesn't mean I don't know what's good fa you. You don't have my training, you wouldn't be able to defend yarself or help any of 'em, believe me."

"You don't know me, you don't know what I'm able to do. Want to watch me?” the doctor gave Ryuhei a serious look. “No, wait, you have to stay here to watch over Yui, right?” he then hurriedly took off his coat and jacket, until he was wearing only his white dress shirt and a silver necklace with a crucifix shimmering around his neck. He threw his clothes at Ryuhei and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. “I'll leave that here, it's hindering me. Take care of it. And I'm borrowing the katana, thank you. See you later."

Sho turned and started running toward the factory. He lost enough time with chatting; it was finally time to put his plans into action.

"You’re crazy!" Ryuhei shouted after him but Sho didn't care.

+++++

“Dad, are you awake?” Masaki asked when he entered his house.

Since he had heard from his brothers that their father was back in the country, he had become a little nervous. It had been some time since they last met and it felt strange to have him back in this house. They didn't have much contact, if any, Satoshi must have been the only one talking to their father from time to time. It wasn't that Masaki didn't like his father, but the relationship between him and the three brothers was doubtlessly a bit difficult. However, Masaki just had to be grateful to his father again, for coming and helping them this time, as Satoshi had announced.

His father didn't answer and the young half-vampire didn't want to go downstairs to check if he was still down there or maybe already gone for the night to get some blood, where ever that might be. He didn't want to know. He just hoped that his father would behave, this was the brothers' hometown after all. 

When Masaki entered the living room, his gaze finally caught the sight of a small piece of paper. A message from his brothers, as he found out when he got closer, picking it up. When he read that they had left for the old factory, he immediately got nervous. This couldn't mean anything good. It wasn't written on the paper but he was sure that this was connected to the vampires who had been chasing them. Of course they couldn't get into their house without being led in, this could only mean that they must have bribed his brothers to a place outside where they could attack them. Damned!

Cursing, Masaki turned on his heel, grabbed his coat from the wardrobe in the entrance area again and hurried back outside into the cold dark night. A small light in front of the house switched on automatically, lighting the way. He took a quick look to his left, to the spot where Satoshi's old car, which the brothers shared, usually parked. Of course, the car was gon. Why didn't he notice it before, Masaki sighed. And now how was he supposed to get to the old factory? He looked around, spotting Jun's car but that wasn't an option. Of course he couldn't ask him to borrow his car, what if something happened to him and he couldn't return it in the morning when Jun and Ai had planned to leave?

Hurriedly, Masaki searched his trousers’ pockets; he would call a taxi, which was the quickest and easiest solution he could come up right now. At least it would be faster than by running and he couldn't lose any time getting to his brothers. Who knew what those vampire monsters had done to them already, especially to Kazunari who surely wasn't able to fight them properly? Panic was creeping up Masaki's chest and it became even bigger when he couldn't find his phone. It was not in his trousers' nor his coat's pockets. Of course not, why should he have it with him during the most important moments? Just like Kazunari once criticized him, again he was forgetting his cell phone at the most crucial moments. Most likely, he had left it on Jun's coffee table, the young half-vampire thought when he remembered the small photo session he had taken with his partner and the little sleeping Ai.

Just when Masaki was about to turn around and hurry back inside to use the normal telephone, he felt a cold hand on his shoulder, holding him back firmly. He froze and stopped immediately and he turned his head slightly to look behind. The light from the entrance shone on the person behind Masaki but nonetheless, he couldn't recognize who it was because he – or she – was wearing a dark cape with a hood, and the hood was pulled over the face to hide most of it. Together with the shadows, it was impossible to make out the person's facial featured but the young half-vampire was sure that this was no one he knew...

He didn't have a chance to ask either as the creature lifted its free hand and punched Masaki hard into the face. The other knew now at the latest that it was one of their enemies. The young man stumbled backwards. He lost balance and landed on his back, just before the black dressed creature towered over him, reached down and pulled him up, grabbing the collar of his coat, just to punch him again with all his might. Masaki coughed and even spat a little blood as he turned around and tried to crawl away, to get a little distance between him and the stranger. He managed to reach the stairs to his house's door but when he turned around again to check on the whereabouts of the vampire, the creature popped up in front of him instantly, just a few centimeters away from his face, almost freaking him out.

“The hell!” Masaki cursed in surprise and pressed his back against the stairs behind him. “Who are you, what do you want?”

The stranger chuckled and reached with one hand to slowly pull back his hood, revealing a slim, strong featured face with big eyes and a defined nose. It was a young man, his curly black hair half hiding his eyes. He was probably Masaki's age, just that this man was a real vampire. Proudly, he revealed his long sharp canine teeth when he let his lips curl in a smirk.

“It's not important whether you know who I am,” the vampire whispered, leaning closer, until Masaki could - surprising with his quick reactions - punch his face and he stumbled a few steps backwards, holding his cheek.

“What did you do to my brothers?” Masaki growled as he stood up again and stared at his opponent, baring his own long teeth.

“I did nothing to them, my sister is taking good care of them right now,” the stranger finally answered, touching his chin for a last time, before focusing on the half-vampire again, now behaving as if nothing had happened. “And _I_ will take good care of you! You’re just struggling a bit too much for my taste, so be a good boy and come with me.”

Masaki didn't even think about following the stranger's orders, who did he think he was? And so, when the vampire approached him again, this time Masaki was prepared, holding up his fists, as if he was participating in a box fight and shooting the other a challenging look.

“Try to get me, if you can,” he said, hitting the air once to demonstrate the speed of his hits.

Too bad, the vampire didn't seem surprised by that and unfortunately, Masaki had to admit, he wasn't as experienced in fighting as he might show off right now. With that, it wasn't surprising that with the next, well-aimed punch, the vampire didn't only cause a lot of pain to Masaki's already swollen face, but he also made him lose ground another time. Masaki crashed down and even before he could find his balance again to hit back, the vampire had stomped his foot against the young man's chest, making him snort painfully, before his head crashed back against the edge of the stairs and Masaki passed out.

+-+-+

Sho finally entered the hall of the vacant factory, led by the light towards where he was sure he could find Kazunari and the others. He could already hear the fighting screams and yells filling the air. He recognized the voices of the Osaka guys, screaming things in their dialect, which he couldn't really understand. When he approached the half-opened gates of the grand hall, he leaned against it first, hiding, not to attract the attention of whoever might be in there from the start. The doctor clenched the katana he was holding in his hands and he would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit nervous. Fighting with bamboo swords in a dojo, keeping his body in shape to be agile and strong in case he had to protect the one who meant the world for him, and actually being involved in fighting _vampires_ were two different pairs of shoes. But he didn't want to hesitate any longer. He was prepared for this, mentally. He just needed to concentrate and put all his knowledge, courage and strength together and he knew he had a lot of those. He would be able to protect the one he loved, to save him and his brother, even if it could be the last thing he did in his life.

The young man leaned forward, taking a peek into the hall to create an image of the situation. A single flashlight lit the place, letting strangely misshaped shadows dance over the ground and the high wall on the opposite side of the hall, shining onto a fighting couple, no - two? Sho wasn't completely sure, the movements were hectic, the yells were distracting and everyone was wearing black, it was hard to make out details. He heard metal clanking, shoots getting fired, yells, and groans. It was horrible.

Sho looked around, worried. When he realized that he couldn't see Kazunari, he began panicking slightly. Hopefully, he wasn't too late already. At that moment, just as Yui had told him in the van a few minutes ago, he could spot Satoshi being tied to a broad pillar just a few meters in front of him, all alone and being forced to witness the scene without being able to do anything. The man screamed in anger, again and again and he was struggling helplessly. His hands were tied together behind his back. His fists clenched and wrists bloody, he tried hard to get free from the red drenched rope. Sho cringed as he imagined the pain the man must feel in his hands right now. Nevertheless, Satoshi continued struggling without fail, bending forward pulling at his arms, screaming something that Sho couldn't decipher within the whole situation, but of course, the pillar didn't move a centimeter.

Immediately, Sho's feet dragged him inside the hall and he didn't even have to be careful not to get noticed within this chaos, nobody would pay attention to him, anyway. He ran to the pillar, put the katana he was holding in one hand between his thighs, clenching it and reached out his hands to the rope tying Satoshi's wrists. When he touched it, the half-vampire instantly stopped screaming, whirling his head around, shocked as his eyes widened even more in surprise when he recognized the doctor behind him.

“Satoshi-san, stop moving, you're making the pain even worse. I'll try to free you, give me a minute,” Sho ordered calmly.

"Sho-san, what... what the hell are you doing here?! How did you find us?" the half-vampire almost freaked out, he didn't know what to ask first. “Don't you know how dangerous it is here?! Leave, seriously, leave!”

“I won't leave,” Sho said determined as he tried to untie the tight knot around his friend's wrists. “I'm here to help you and Kazunari-kun.”

Quickly, he had to realize that Satoshi – through the quick and forceful movements – must have tightened the knots of the rope even more, making them so solid that it was impossible to untie them just with his bare fingers.

“Damned!” Sho cursed and let go off the firm rope. There was no other choice but to cut it, he thought. The doctor reached down between his thighs, grabbing the handle of the katana. He stepped aside, holding the sword's scabbard firmly while he pulled out the blade slowly.

“The hell, where did you get this katana from?!” Satoshi hissed in disbelief.

"I borrowed it from those guys,” Sho answered, nodding toward the bunch of fighters in front of them.

“The vampire hunters?”

Instead of answering, the young doctor freed the blade completely, putting it against the rope, ready to use it. The blade was sharp, one wrong movement, and he could hurt the half-vampire badly. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down and not tremble. “Don't move, Satoshi-san, you'll be free in a second.”

His friend did as he was told, keeping still completely. Carefully, Sho started cutting the rope. It worked even faster than he thought, as if the sharp blade was sliding through butter, and he had to pull away quickly, just before the silver blade touched Satoshi's skin and cut it too. The last few strings of the rope that held the bonds together, ripped apart when the half-vampire slightly pulled his wrists away, then quickly pulling them in front of his body, instinctively grabbing the worse wounded wrist with his other hand. He carefully checked it, not daring to rub it. It was still hurting like hell.

"Are you alright?" Sho asked, stepping forward.

He carefully took Satoshi's arms to check on the still bleeding wrists. He didn't have anything on hand right now to disinfect the wounds, but he could try to stop the bleeding binding the wounds and so, Sho used his katana again, this time to cut some of the white fabric off his shirt after he rolled down the sleeves. He ripped the fabric apart, improvising and creating some bandages, which he wrapped around Satoshi's wrists, carefully but firmly at the same time. The blood slightly colored the white fabric but it was better than nothing, Sho thought as he had put back his sword.

"We'll have to take proper care of that later on."

Satoshi nodded. "Thank you very much. Come on, I think they can handle it here," he added, glancing at the vampire hunters who were still busy with their duels. "Let's go help Kazu."

"That's exactly what I'm here for. Where is he?” Sho asked, looking at the other man seriously. In his hand he was still clenching the handle of the sword ready to use it again. He pulled in the air between his lips sharply. “If somebody hurt him, I swear, I'll kill the culprit with this katana.”

Satoshi looked at the young doctor, frowning. As much as he appreciated that man's affection toward his little brother, his help in freeing him, and the fact that he strangely seemed to have no problem at all with this whole vampire stuff, something was still bugging him. How could a normal human being stay so calm with all of these freaking things happening around him? How could he be so brave – or stupid – to jump into this fight between the vampires and the half-vampires with a sharp katana, borrowed from a bunch of – as it seemed - more or less experienced vampire hunters, as a sheer normal person? If he wasn't a professional like Ohkura and his friends, how would he be able to stand a chance against real vampires? Was he a vampire hunter himself? Was he really ready to risk his life for Kazunari, did he love him that much? Or was he even a danger for them, secretly? 

No, that wasn't the case, Sho meant well and Satoshi could feel it. He never sensed any danger coming from the other person and he trusted his instincts pretty much, usually. Sho looked determined and Satoshi knew that he was sincere. He could question him later, for now, they should better hurry, they didn't have much time. Mao still had her hands on his brother and the longer it took them to free him, the worse it would be. Satoshi grabbed Sho's arm and looked directly into his eyes.

“OK, we have to hurry. I think she brought him to another room,” he said, darting at the other side of the great hall.

Sho looked at the place Satoshi was pointing at but he had to admit that his eyes weren't good enough to adjust to the darkness there, he couldn't spot anything. Satoshi, his own eyes used to the darkness already, not only due to the half-vampire genes, pulled him with him, dragging him along the wall of the great hall, avoiding the attention of the other two fighting couples.

“She pulled him through the door back there,” Satoshi said in a low voice. “I guess she wants to be alone with him so that nobody can disturb them.”

“Who?” Sho asked puzzled. "Disturb what?"

“Mao, she's a female vampire, she wants to _turn_ Kazu so that she can make a slave out of him or something,” Satoshi explained quickly, slightly panicking.

“To _turn_ him?” Sho froze.

He frowned, his look still staring into the darkness lying in front of him. He tried to make out the end of the hall, looking at the door that Satoshi had mentioned, which they were approaching. He was trying hard to get used to the darkness. It took quite some time but slowly, he could make out a few silhouettes. However, it seemed that he could only spot some old, unused machines standing there in the middle of the factory.

“I have to admit, I don't really know how this whole thing really works, I never _turned_ anybody, I would never intend to and I'm not even sure if I, as a half-vampire, even _could_ turn someone,” Satoshi continued and seemingly, they finally reached the end of the hall, as the half-vampire pushed open a heavy door, still pulling Sho behind him. “But that is what basically happens when vampires turn human beings into one of them, well, something less worth than them as thoroughbred of course...”

Truth to be told, Satoshi didn't even need to explain all the details to Sho. The others might not know yet, but Sho knew quite a lot about vampires. In fact, he had studied them – even if only from books - for years already, thoroughly. Since the day he first met one of them, he decided to get to know their strengths and their weaknesses. Even if he had hoped not to meet some of those really bad guys in person one day, he had wanted to be prepared, just in case. He wanted to be able to protect the one who he had met years ago, a weak half-vampire, hated by his own clan, haunted by his own miserable existence, but still holding a heart big enough to love his closest family members more than his own life. A lovable and impressive person, more _human_ than most human beings this world could offer.

“She wants to turn Kazunari into a _real_ vampire...,” Sho murmured, as he realized their plan.

“Basically, yes, even if I never heard of a half-vampire being turned. Probably because there's not much known about half-bloods… So, I'm not sure if it works, she might rather kill him, especially since Kazu cannot complete the ceremony of being turned, I think..,” Satoshi sounded worried.

“Because the victim has to lose all his own blood which has to be replaced by the vampire's blood completely, to _turn_ him and Kazunari-kun wouldn't be able to keep her blood inside him due to his allergy...,” Sho continued and Satoshi stopped abruptly, causing the young doctor almost to run him over.

“You know about that?!” the half-vampire frowned at the other, still clenching to his arm. “Why... How... Who are you, Sho-san?”

The doctor just shook his head. “This isn't important now, is it? If what you're saying is true, Kazunari-kun's life is in danger, we have to hurry. Let’s find them already!”

Even if Sho's eyes were still not completely used to the dark, it got better after a few minutes and soon he didn't have the feeling any longer as if he was just being dragged along helplessly by Satoshi. The dim light from the moon outside that was shining through the high windows at some parts of the factory building, helped too a little. After running back and forth, glancing into some smaller rooms, until they reached another, smaller hall at the other side of the building, the two men finally found what they were searching for.

When Satoshi stopped abruptly in front of him, Sho had to take care not to run the other over again. He stopped too, clenching the katana he brought with him firmly with both hands, ready to jump and risk his own life for Kazunari's sake, if it was needed. But for now, Satoshi just signaled him to be quiet. Sho then heard the low noise he had missed before, something that the sensible eyes of the half-vampire in front of him must have caught immediately and so the man stood still. Satoshi went a few steps forward, gesturing his friend to follow him in silence and that was what Sho did.

“Crap... ,” Satoshi whispered and froze as he looked through the gap between the half opened door, Sho imitating him.

The young doctor darted his look inside the dark room, trying to figure out what was going on. Sho looked ahead, focusing onto where Satoshi's panic filled eyes were directed at, into some even darker corner... Satoshi gulped and finally gave Sho a sign to follow him inside. He pushed open the door, slowly, to avoid any unnecessary sound, and tip-toed closer to the occupied corner. Sho, right behind the half-vampire could spot the hunkered over silhouette of another creature, dressed in dark clothes, with long dark hair hiding the person's face. This must be the female vampire Satoshi had mentioned, the young man thought as he gulped down another lump that was forming in his throat. With each step the two intruders were getting closer, he could recognize more and more details. The creature was clasping a small, thin body, dressed in a white, dark stained shirt, seemingly lifeless and Sho didn't need to recognize the black bunch of hair, the pale skin, or the small hands hanging down besides the weak body to know who this person was...

Suddenly, the world around Sho seemed to slow down. Every single one of his senses felt much stronger, much more sensible than usual. The man focused completely onto that young, lifeless man in the arms of that vampire woman. He could smell the metallic stink of blood, could hear a slurping noise of that creature drinking from the young man's neck. That noise, intruding his ears as if someone had turned up the volume of a ghetto blaster just to torture him, was the most disgusting sound he had ever heard. Sho could feel his heart constricting as panic overwhelmed him, could hear his own blood rushing through his veins, creating the acoustic illusion of a roaring sea in his head. 

Sho's mind zeroed out everything around him and then it was as if he saw red.

TBC


	17. Let us in!

When Masaki regained consciousness, he immediately realized that not much time has passed since he had blacked out on the stairs to his house. The back of his head was hurting awfully, probably because he was bleeding a little and he felt dizzy but that wasn't what that made him feel unease and panicking at that moment. No, it was the fact that he and that vampire who just had attacked him, now were standing in front of the Matsumoto's door, the stranger banging his fist against the wooden door, demanding entrance. He immediately tried to struggle and get free, to run and bribe the vampire away, _just away from them_ but to his frustration, he realized once again that the stranger had much more strength than he had.

"Stop being annoying, little bastard," the vampire hissed, shaking him.

"Well well, Toma, watch your language," another voice could be heard from behind. "Take it slow, we have more leverage."

"Father, you're late. You already missed some fun," the young vampire chuckled, obviously referring to his small _fight_ with Masaki before – if you could even call it that.

Masaki tried to turn around to face the new voice, but that was easier said than done, considering the position in which that vampire held him. The young man could only struggle a bit more, turning his head to finally catch a glimpse of a small, slim figure with an awfully thin face, sunken cheeks, a strong nose and pale as the moon. He kind of looked a little bit like Toma, just older and thinner. However, if _this_ guy wasn't a vampire, Masaki would eat a broom. Though he really didn't care who that person was, and he didn't see much chances in having a working conversation, he tried to negotiate, what else was left for him?

"Just – Just let the Matsumotos be," Masaki begged. "You can have me, you can _kill_ me if you want to but just… let them be, please!" he begged but the vampire just smiled at him viciously as this pleading just confirmed how evil his plan was, and continued banging at the door. 

“Let us in or I'll kill your precious half-blood here right away, I won't say it again!” Toma groaned, holding Masaki by the back of his collar, pulling him up to let his face be seen through the door viewer – most likely by Jun who must be at the other side of the door at the moment.

“Don't!” Masaki yelled immediately. “Don't open the door, Jun, no matter what! Just _don't_ let him in!”

"He'll be dead in ten seconds, if you don't open the door, _Jun_ ," the vampire repeated, straightening his back.

The older vampire sighed and Masaki was sure that he rolled his eyes. "Why are you so impatient, son? It's much more fun to make them suffer slowly."

"Let me do this my way, father, it will be your turn too, soon," Toma just answered with a smirk, earning a shrug of his father's shoulders. He placed Masaki in front of the door viewer again and lifted his free hand, his sharp fingernails touching the soft skin of Masaki's throat. The young half-vampire cursed. There he had spread all those silver crucifixes among his friends and he himself wasn't wearing anything silver that could prevent that goddamned vampire from hurting him in this crucial area. "I'll count down, starting now. Ten…Nine….Eight…"

"Jun, No!" Masaki screamed, he didn't care that his struggling caused the vampire's fingernails to cut slightly into his skin, drawing a fine red line. "If you're there and listening, listen to me! They still can't set a foot into your house; they'll only be able if you allow them to –"

"Seven…Six…"

"They will be able to hurt you and Ai, don't listen to him!" the young man continued. "I'm a half-vampire, I can handle this here, so don't worry about me and just watch over Ai-chan!"

The vampire stopped his countdown for a moment as he heard Masaki talking big and burst into an evil laugh. " _You_ can handle this? Very funny, Mr. Half-blood, I totally see where you're coming from," the vampire's words were dripping from sarcasm. "You can _handle_ this?! Two vampires? You must be kidding! Let's see how you can handle _this_!"

A second later, Masaki felt as if his stomach was turning upside down. The vampire let go off him for a second as the half-vampire doubled over after receiving a really hard punch into his stomach and he cursed as he felt his knees giving in beneath him. He brought his hands to the front of his body, pressing one against the cramping organ and one against his lips as he tried to stop himself from throwing up.

"So… where have we been?" the black dressed man asked with a mean smirk as he reached down to bury his hand in Masaki's tousled hair, pulling him up, causing him to yelp from the pain. "Ah yeah… Five…Four…"

The rustling of the door chain could be heard from the inside and when Masaki could see the door handle getting pushed down, he almost freaked out.

“Three…Two…"

"Jun, NO!"

Toma chuckled while repositioned his sharp fingernails on Masaki's throat, and Toma's father just watched his son's action with average interest.

"One…"

The door got pushed open, Jun standing in the doorway, a wooden baseball bat in his hand. Giving an almost ridiculous image, he was darting a look at the vampires and Masaki that the latter wasn't completely able to read. He could see fear, anger, confusion, worry, and panic.

"Don't… don't hurt him… please," Jun barked a bit helplessly.

Again, Toma chuckled – Masaki really started to hate this particular chuckle and he was sure, should he ever survive this, it would follow him into his nightmares. Still, Toma was not removing his fingers from his prey's throat. His lips curled up into the most devilish smile Jun must have ever seen. "So let us in and I promise I won't hurt him."

"I give a shit to your promise, let him go now!" Jun yelled, this voice cracking but determined.

"Let. Us. In," the vampire repeated. "And I will let him go _then_. That's how we make the deal, young man, you get me?"

"It's a trick, Jun, please," Masaki whined. "I can handle this, just close the door and-"

The young vampire cut not only Masaki's words but also with his sharp nails a bit deeper into his skin as he shook the man again to shut him up. " _You_ be quiet, bastard!"

Another thin red line formed on Masaki's throat, this time, it bled more than the former one and Masaki cringed slightly. Jun pulled in the air between his slightly parted lips, his look reflecting blank horror as he watched his lover getting hurt.

"Alright," he whispered and Toma turned at him, lifting his eyebrows. "Alright, if you let him go then –"

"JUN!" Masaki yelled, endless fear crawling inside him in an instant. A freaking image of what could happen popped up his mind and tears filled his eyes as he could almost _see_ Jun and Ai getting hurt, slaughtered by those two vampires, their bodies lying on the ground lifeless in puddles of blood that the others were drinking from...

"- Come in," Jun finished his sentence and it was enough for the vampires to access their desired destination.

Faster than Jun could react, Toma had passed the door way – almost in the blink of an eye – and was now standing right behind him in the entrance area, pulling Masaki along with him, still holding him with a firm grip at the head.

Toma's father passed the threshold leisurely, following his son and his prey, murmuring the most ironic "Sorry for intruding" ever spoken. As he went by Jun, he grabbed the wooden baseball bat Jun was holding and twisted it out of Jun's grip without any problems. “I'll take care of this, if you don't mind.”

"Damned," Masaki whined and it was just then, when Jun seemed to realize what he had done.

"Oh my Gosh. AI!" he screamed immediately into the direction of the staircase leading the way to the upper floor. "Ai, GO into your room and LOCK the door! NOW! Don't let them in and don't come out, no matter what happens, no matter what you'll hear!" Jun yelled, hoping that this strange vampire rule of not being able to pass a doorway without invitation would also apply to separated rooms within the house.

He could hear a few footsteps and the loud bang of a door and he sighed in relief. For now at least. His heart was still beating like crazy and he knew that he did something unacceptable, not only risking his own but also his daughter's life. He – and Masaki too for sure - would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to Ai…

The vampire laughed amused before he let out a long sigh. "Well… if I have _you_ , young good-looking man," he pointed at Jun with one hand, a demonic smirk adorning his lips. "It will be enough for making _him_ suffer for now. We'll get back to that little brat up there later on; we're not in a hurry, right, Father?"

"Look who's learning," the older vampire said, following his son but still holding himself back. Masaki wondered, what his plan was, did he only want to watch and enjoy the suffering of people?

Toma dragged Masaki through the corridor, into the living room and pushed the half-vampire hard, making him crash head first into a wall before he pushed him again, this time toward the living room couch table, causing it to flip over and pushing everything that had been lying on top of it onto the floor. Jun yelped in surprise when Masaki groaned and the vampire turned to him, laughing before he started to approach him.

“So I let him go, you see? Promise hold. But what should I do next?” the vampire asked hypothetically, surely holding some evil plans for Jun.

Just when Masaki collected himself again from the fall, his eyes fell onto his cell phone that he had left at Jun's house earlier. He reacted quickly, snatching it and pushed it into his pocket, hoping that none of the vampires had seen his action. Maybe he could use it to call for help. When he darted his look again at Toma, the latter was still approaching Jun slowly, causing the latter to walk backwards, step by step until he met the wall with his back, wincing slightly. The vampire pressed his own chest against Jun's, getting his face close to the other man's. He had to stop though as he felt the presence of the silver necklace Jun was wearing. Toma just clicked his tongue. This didn't prevent him from leisurely observing the young man's features. Jun turned his head and closed his eyes tightly as the vampire lifted his hand and let it brush over his cheeks, the tips of his fingernails slightly scratching the pale skin.

"What a beautiful man you are…," the vampire chuckled. "I can see why that little bastard there fell for you. Such smooth skin, those pretty moles and what nice lips you've got.”

Masaki had to pull himself together to not immediately jump at the intruder for touching _his_ Jun's face. It was disgusting and he could imagine how Jun must feel right now, being touched by that vampire. The first _real_ vampire he ever met and someone so much more dangerous than Masaki or his brothers could ever be. He must be scared to death, fearing how easily Toma must be able to get at him and take his blood. Well, at least not from his neck, which was protected.

Trying to come up with a good idea, Masaki thought about the situation. How could he be able to pull Toma away from Jun? He had experienced once how strong Toma was… of course he had to at least try but he doubted that he would stand a chance against him. He jumped up and sprinted the few steps to reach Toma and Jun but just when he wanted to reach his hands to Toma's collar and pull him away, the older vampire who had been playing with the wooden bat till now barged in suddenly and pushed Masaki back with almost no effort at all.

“Stay back and watch, half-blood,” the vampire eyed Masaki who slammed down onto the floor again, before he turned his attention toward their human prey.

Masaki cursed, realizing his own weakness again. He wasn't as strong as them, he wasn't even as strong as Satoshi, he wasn't strong at all! 

Wait. Satoshi! Of course, maybe he should try to call him. He didn't know if his brothers would even be able to get here – most likely they were in some trouble themselves – but he just had to try. So, when the vampires were still occupied with taking a _really_ close look at owner of the house, Masaki was unwatched for a moment. He hurriedly pulled out his cell phone and quickly set a call to his brothers' phones. First Satoshi – who didn't pick up -, then Kazunari, to whom the half-vampire couldn't even manage to get through at all, receiving immediately a message telling him that the person he wanted to call wasn't available at the moment. He cursed silently. Of course it didn't work, he wasn't that surprised. He just hoped that this didn't mean that his brothers were in really deep shit right now too.

Attracted by Masaki's repeated cursing, Toma's father finally seemed to notice the half-vampire's presence again. The latter turned pale as the short vampire started walking toward him slowly. He tilted his head and with a smugly face, he looked at Masaki as he stopped in front of him. The vampire lifted the baseball bat he was still holding and pointed it at Masaki's chest, pressing its tip against him, teasingly. He nodded invitingly at the phone that the half-vampire was still clenching in his hands. Masaki frowned.

"Go ahead, call for help if you think it's needed," the vampire challenged him, his lips curling up in a mean smirk. "Who do you want to call, your brothers? Couldn't reach them, huh? I'm sorry to tell you but it's most likely too late for them, my beloved daughter and my nephews should be taking proper care of them right now."

Masaki gulped, his heart cringed. Knowing that his brothers were in danger and seeing Jun getting threatened by that Toma-vampire made him painfully realize his own helplessness over and over again. He _really_ needed help! The next person, he could come up with to call for help, was his father. Of course, wasn't the other here to help? But would that vampire really allow him to call someone or was this just a trick to distract him so that he could attack him?

The vampire bent down, his face getting closer to Masaki and just as if he was reading the young man's mind, he whispered. "Who do you want to call, your father, old Okada?"

"You know my father?" Masaki asked surprised.

"I saw him strolling around just a little while ago. I didn't know he's here, rumors had it that he was in Scanvinavia but well… isn't it cute that he came to save his bastard children?" the vampire straightened up again, removing the pressure of the wooden bat from Masaki's chest and he sighed, looking up, as if he remembered something nostalgic. "It's been quite some time since we fought together on the battlefield, you know? Back then, we were companions, rivals but also almost friends, I'd say. But… when he decided to break the rules and your older brother was born. I was really disappointed in him."

"And that is why you're following us now, do you want us dead?" the half-vampire asked. If this man and his father had once been companions, how could he target his old friend's children now and even worse – why did he get their friends involved?

"You're a disgrace of our race!" the vampire hissed, throwing a disgusted look at Masaki. "Of course, we want you dead, you and your stupid little friends. And on top of that, your father will learn his lesson too, never to set bastards into this world any longer. Our blood has to stay clean, you understand? Look at you and your brothers, all of you are _freaks_!"

"They are no freaks!" Jun suddenly barged in and when Masaki turned his head to him, he could see that Toma had switched to hold Jun's hands behind the young man's back, allowing him watch the scene. "What's your problem with them, they didn’t do anything bad to anybody!"

"Jun…," Masaki was touched by his boyfriend's words and touched by his braveness to speak up to a vampire.

"Freaks are just disgusting!" Toma's father spat at the young half-vampire’s feet. "You're strange! One of you can't even drink blood and has to suffer for his whole life, that's so miserable! A vampire should lead a proud life, not a miserable one like that! And what's with those half-developed abilities? You'll never have our power, _real_ power, and you'll never get accepted as a real human being either, so what's your purpose in life then?"

"It doesn't matter what they are," Jun spoke up again, yelling at the vampire but he got cut off as the old man lifted his hand and his son immediately put one of his hands in front of Jun's lips to mute him.

"Please, let go off Jun!"

"Now go ahead and call your traitor of a father!" the vampire instructed Masaki, who looked at Jun with desperate eyes. When the half-vampire didn't react any further, the vampire pulled back the baseball bat and smashed it in Jun's shin, the cracking noise of bones was heard and the young man yelped in pain behind Toma's hand.

“Jun!” Masaki gaped and wanting to reach his boyfriend, he tried to move but the vampire held him back, darting the bat at him again.

“Do it!”

With slightly trembling fingers, Masaki hastily browsed through his cell phone's address book and selected his father's number. Waiting for the line getting through, Masaki pressed the phone against his ear, nervously. Thankfully, his father picked up almost immediately.

_"What a rare pleasure, you calling me, Masaki! I just came back from a stroll and –"_

"Dad, there is no time for this now,” the young man immediately cut his father. “Please, come over to the Matsumotos and help us! It's the house at the corner of the street just right next to ours. Hurry!"

_"What happened, did they get attacked?"_

"Two of the vampires are here, I – I can't stand a chance all alone, so please -"

“Enough now, I think he got it!” the vampire in front of Masaki said and lifted his baseball bat to push away the cell phone out of Masaki's hand, causing the young vampire to lift his hands in defeat.

Masaki's look wandered to Jun again who was still cringing his face in pain. The half-vampire hoped that his father would arrive soon and would be able to help them and indeed, it didn't take long until there could be heard calls from the entrance door which must still be opened widely after the barging in of the vampires.

“Hello? Will you let me in? I'm here to save my son and his friends,” the newly arrived vampire asked in a loud voice.

Masaki's father had arrived quickly, but of course, he couldn't access the house now without getting invited. Toma and his father chuckled.

“Well, that could be fun now,” the older vampire said and reaching out to Masaki to drag him with him, holding his upper arm locked in a hurtful grip, he returned to the entrance area. “If this isn't good old Okada,” he then said with a smugly voice.

“Kusanagi!” Masaki's father exclaimed surprised, standing on the doormat. “What a surprise, how long has it been?”

“Not long enough, obviously,” Kusanagi hissed, enforcing the grip around Masaki's arm.

“What are you doing to my son! Let him go!” Okada said in a strict voice but Kusanagi knew exactly, that he had more pull and that the other vampire couldn't do anything until Jun didn't invite him into the house, which would be impossible as long as Toma held him hostage, his mouth pressed close by his hand.

“As if,” the vampire chuckled. “You're doomed to watch your son and his friends suffering from out there, isn't that fun?”

Okada hissed and after exchanging a serious look with his son and hesitating for a moment, he turned around. If this didn't work, he had to find another way in.

+-+-+

Shocked from the sudden action, Satoshi couldn't hold back Sho as the young doctor rushed forward, pushing open the iron door. He was screaming, pulling out the katana from its case, and in the process of running towards the female vampire who finally lifted her head up from her prey's neck and darted her look at the intruder. Her red eyes were flashing through the darkness and she hissed like an angry cat for getting disturbed while taking her meal. Her mouth was smeared with the red blood, her black hair slightly disheveled; she looked like a real monster...

"Let go off him, now!" Sho yelled as he stopped in front of her, the tip of his katana pointing at the vampire's face. He didn't seem to be scared at all and if he wasn't driven by his own anger and will to save his lover, he might have been surprised by his own courage.

"Who the hell are you to think you can interrupt me?!” Mao yelled at him, still clenching to her victim's body.

Sho let his look slide down a little bit for a moment. The vampire seemed to have undressed the young man she was holding in her arms from his heavy coat, which was lying on the ground next to them. She had ripped open the collar of his white knitted jumper to have better access. Close to his neck, the white wool was drenched in red. Catching a glimpse of Kazunari's pale face, Sho could see that the young man had his eyes closed. He had passed out already, Sho thought, his heart constricting with fear to lose him. Kazunari's face showed a few traces of dried blood too, maybe from when he was forced to drink that vampire bitch's blood.

“I'm Sakurai Sho, I'm Kazunari's boyfriend and his guardian and if you don't let go of him immediately, I'll cut your throat with this sword faster than you can count to three,” the doctor said in a self-confident voice. The anger brewing inside him made him completely forget the difference between him and the female vampire.

“That's right!” Satoshi jumped out from his hiding place too now, placing himself right next to the man with the katana pointing at Mao. “We're here to save my little brother. Let go of him and we will fight face to face or are you scared now that my hands are free?"

Unimpressed, Mao sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. “I'm really busy right now, as you might see, I'm trying to give this miserable little creature here a better life. But he's making things tough, seems he doesn't want to get turned, what a pity for him, it would be so much easier than his miserable life right now,” she said, reaching her hand to Kazunari's face, brushing it. “He would be such a cute servant, don't you think so?”

“No, I don't think so, he's totally fine the way he is, so don't you dare touching him ever again!” Satoshi spat at her and Sho went a step forward until the tip of his katana slightly touched the skin underneath the vampire's chin.

She cringed slightly as the silver caused some kind of burn on her skin but she acted as if nothing had happened and sighed again, turning her head to face the two attackers. 

“You don't understand, do you? For a half-vampire bastard and a -,” she shot a look at Sho, sniffing, “- I'm not sure what exactly you reckless creature are, but you smell similar to a human being so... I'm sure you don't understand. Living as one of us is so much more alluring, so much more thrilling, so much easier in so many ways. I'm sure I could cure your little darling here from his ridiculous blood allergy.”

“Stop talking such crap!” Sho hissed, pressing the katana's blade a little more against Mao's neck, causing the burn to grow a little and a single drop of blood wetting the tip of the blade.

“Subaru, Yu, one of you take care of this little wanna-be hero, there are really too many bugs around tonight!" Mao said in a loud voice and while Satoshi and Sho looked at her, frowning, it took just a moment for one of her cousins to show up right next to her, having passed the two intruders so fast that they didn't even notice him. He must have heard his cousin's call despite the distance, Satoshi thought.

“What?” Sho asked, slightly irritated.

“What about the vampire hunters?” Satoshi asked, fearing that they might have been defeated already, or even worse, dead.

“Yu is taking care of them, they aren't bad fighters but it doesn't need two of us to finish them off,” the vampire said with an evil grin. “So, which of you is up against me? Are they even worth the effort, Mao? We tied this little bastard to a pillar and he couldn't move at all. Shall I try doing that again?”

“Try it,” Satoshi murmured through his clenched teeth, glaring at the vampire before jumping on his feet and sending a kick toward him.

Subaru ducked, letting a bit of surprise show on his face. But his surprise didn't last long and he quickly resumed to glaring at the attacker with a condescending look before he chuckled, amused.

“So you can kick? I'm not impressed, just for the records. Come on, show me more!” he threw back his cape and reached out a hand to make an inviting gesture at the half-vampire, prompting him to attack him again.

Satoshi didn't need to be told twice, he clenched his fists and with another battle cry, he dashed at the vampire. Sho in the meantime was still facing Mao, her look challenging him.

“You want to rescue Sleeping Beauty here?” she asked, clicking her tongue. “Better let me finish the turning or he might be dead in a few minutes. Be a good boy, take your sword and go home, human!”

“I won't,” Sho said calmly, the katana in his hand not moving a centimeter.

Mao let her red eyes flash at Sho again, but when he just continued staring at her determined, she suddenly seemed to get irritated. “Why... why doesn't it work?”

She glared at him again, her eyes flashing red, but didn't seem to get the reaction she wanted. Frustrated she let Kazunari's body slip from her hands and straightened her body. When the half-vampire's limb body met the dusty ground with a thud, Sho got distracted for a moment, worrying about his boyfriend. God, please let him still be alive, he thought desperately. He put down his sword, wanting to run over to Kazunari, but the female vampire barged in, blocking his way and glared at the young doctor again.

“Why aren't you listening to my orders?!” she clamored, clenching her fists and baring her sharp teeth. “A human should back off and go home now, you hear me?!”

“I will _not_ leave Kazunari-kun alone, forget it! Now move and let me check on him,” Sho yelled at Mao, lifting his sword again.

“Why isn't my spell working on you?!” the vampire asked, furious. “You're not normal!”

“And _you_ are?!” Sho spat.

Angrily, the vampire screamed and jumped at Sho with her hands cramped into claws. The young man could barely block her with his sword, holding it in front of his body and making her draw aside in order not to get sliced by the sharp silver blade. Sho stroke out to swing his katana at her, she backed off but he managed to carve her into the shoulder, causing her to yell in pain. The black fabric of her top now showed a huge cut, the skin underneath felt like it was burning and gave off some smoke, whiffing into the air. Mao cursed and lifted one hand to cover her wound.

“Damned silver!” she screamed, knowing too well that the material made it hard for her to use her self-healing powers.

Sho felt his courage increased as he saw how vulnerable the female vampire suddenly seemed to be. He brought his sword back into attack position, ready to use it again, now that he saw how effective it was. Quickly, Mao turned around and grabbed a forgotten iron bar in order to have something to fight with and she even managed to block Sho's next attack with it. However, she hadn't counted on Sho's abilities in kendo, so when he finally showed his full potential, it got harder and harder for the female vampire to counter his strokes. Despite trying over and over again to manipulate Sho with her powers, she quickly had to accept that her hypnosis just did not seem to work on him, for whatever reason this was. Cursing, she resumed to defending herself against his strong sword attacks. She suffered more and more strikes, a cut on her leg, one sliding down her cheek and a last, pretty tough attack against her side. Mao was breathing heavily and holding her side with both hands, stumbling backwards.

“I can’t believe...,” she started, her voice sounding freaked out. “I can't believe that I'm going to... to lose against a human! Subaru!? Come here and help me against this freak!”

She stumbled further, her heel getting caught by a stone that made her lose balance and fell over. Groaning, she landed on her flat back and before she even realized that she was lying in the dirt, Sho was standing on top of her, stepping on the vampire's chest with one foot while he pointed the sharp silver blade at her throat again. Mao bared her teeth at him, hissing, before she cried out for he cousin's help once more. But Subaru was still fighting with Satoshi, the two of them seemingly a bit more equal, due to the lack of a silver weapon that Satoshi could use to defend. But at least in a fist against fist fight, he seemed to be a serious opponent.

Sho focused his angry look at the female vampire, his breath panting. It wasn't that this fight didn't exhaust him, even if he seemed to have the upper hand. He was almost unhurt, just a few scratches from the woman's sharp nails decorated his arms, one fine red line drawing from his cheek to his nose. The katana was really serving him well, and thankfully he seemed to remember his kendo classes much better than expected. His look drifting off to Kazunari who was still lying unconsciously a few meters away, his cheeks dusty. Sho had to pull himself together in order not to draw back his katana and just slice off the vampire's head, taking revenge for what she had done to his beloved one, but he was hesitating. It wasn't his nature to hurt other people, whether they were vampires or not, and it was even less in his nature to kill other people. Even if he had talked big by threatening death to the one who hurt his lover, he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to really carry out an execution.

"Subaru!" Mao yelled at her cousin again, not caring that he was swallowing a pretty bad punch by Satoshi as he got distracted from her call.

The vampire tumbled over to the ground and held up his hands in defense when Satoshi wanted to jump onto him to beat him up. Making proper use of a moment of hesitation in the half-vampire's action, Subaru quickly moved toward his cousin, wrapping his arms around her and snatching her away from Sho's threat. He pushed the doctor, who almost lost his balance and stumbled a few steps back, and stood in front of Mao to protect her. He hissed at Sho as the other pointed the silver blade at him but sensing that Subaru's presence meant that Satoshi was free from fighting right now, Sho grasped the chance.

“Satoshi-san! Hurry, Kazunari-kun -”

Sho didn't even need to finish his sentence, the other was already dashing toward his little brother who was still lying on the ground, motionless. He slammed down next to Kazunari and immediately reached out his hands to turn him over. Letting his brother's head rest on his lap, he slightly touched the bite wounds on Kazunari's neck, checking them. They felt as if the blood had already dried. 

"Subaru, I have enough of this," the female vampire said, catching Sho's attention again. "Take me away from here, now!"

"What about Yu?" the vampire ventured, asking his cousin.

"Leave him to fight with the vampire hunters until he finished those weaklings off, those bastards and that stupid human don't have the guts to kill him, and we can get him afterwards."

"Very well," Subaru nodded and lifted Mao who placed one arm around his neck while still holding her wounded side with the other.

Sho and Satoshi could just catch a last glimpse of them before the two vampires vanished into the darkness but they couldn't care less. They didn't want to continue fighting them or see them dead, they just wanted them to leave them in peace and that was what they got. Yui would be outside, safe, the vampire hunters were hopefully dealing well with the remaining vampire too and Kazunari was finally free again, even if he looked miserable and they still didn't know how bad it really was. The temporary relief from the disappearance of the vampires immediately got replaced by the old panic.

"Kazu, can you hear me? Kazu!" Satoshi whined, looking at his little brother who was remained still. He didn't know what to do, he felt like shaking his little brother on the shoulders but at the same time he didn't dare to move him, fearing that he could break him just from that.

"Kazunari-kun," Sho said in a low voice as he reached them, letting go of the katana, which fell to the floor as he sank onto his knees, finally touching the limb body.

Without Satoshi's protest, he crawled closer, lifting Kazunari and pulled him toward him so that he could hold him in his arms. The young half-vampire looked paler than never before, his lips dried and colorless, his eyes still shut. His neck looked still bloody but the blood had dried and the wounds weren't leaking new fluid. It was as if his body was empty, without a single drop of blood left in it. 

Sho tried feeling Kazunari's pulse at his neck as well as his wrist but he couldn't feel any. He tried not to panic on the spot, knowing from former examinations that Kazunari always had a pretty low, almost unnoticeable pulse. If he couldn't feel any now, it didn't necessarily mean that it was too late already. Vampires – and also half-vampires – couldn't die that easily, right? Even with the blood allergy, Kazunari had survived until now. It couldn't be over now… The doctor bent down to hold his ear in front of Kazunari's mouth, trying to make out if he was still breathing.

“He surely lost too much blood, Sho-san,” Satoshi said, sounding desperate. “Why couldn't I take better care of him, I should have prohibited him from coming along... I'm such a horrible brother...”

"Satoshi-san, don't say such things, you're a wonderful brother,” Sho answered. “And it's not too late yet. Kazunari-kun, Kazunari-kun! Open your eyes, please!”

But the young man didn't react, not even when Sho resumed shaking his shoulders. Slowly but surely he starting to panic, he wanted to go through first aid measurements that might be helpful right now but his mind was blank while his heart was racing like crazy. His vision blurred, he hadn't even realized that tears of fear were forming in his eyes. He had started to nervously pat his boyfriend's cheeks while whispering his name over and over again, putting more force into each slap, until the other finally seemed to show a reaction and Satoshi put his hand onto Sho's to make him stop shaking his little brother. Kazunari frowned slightly, and groaning, he finally opened his eyes a little bit.

“Oh Gosh, Kazunari-kun!” the doctor sobbed relieved. His vision was getting clearer again.

“Kazu!” Satoshi exclaimed, reaching to his brother, hugging him slightly.

The young man groaned again, he seemed pretty smashed and was still unable to move. “Nii-chan...,” he said in a low voice, seeing his brother sobbing relentlessly. Then, his look went up, meeting the gaze of the man who was still holding him in his arms. A silent tear ran down the young doctor's cheek. “Sho-san... I... I didn't want you to come here... it's... dangerous...”

“I know, I know,” Sho started, unable to suppress a relieved chuckle. He brushed his hand through his boyfriend's tousled hair. “But you know what? We scared the vampires away, no need to worry!”

“You... what? How?” the younger asked puzzled, frowning until his eyes locked on the other man's cheek. “Sho-san, you're... hurt...”

“Shh, don't talk too much now, you're injured much more severely,” Sho answered, wiping his cheek. “You lost a lot of blood, you need to recover from that quickly. Do you have your blood pills with you?"

Kazunari frowned again, as he tried to remember. "I'm sorry, I think, I left them at home…"

"Damned… OK, let me think."

"I'm tougher than I look,... the lack of blood never killed me so far," the young half-vampire said, weakly.

"I never saw you looking _this_ bad though, Kazu,” Satoshi chimed in, lifting his head from his brother's chest. “I'm really worried!"

"I'll survive..."

“How long would it take us to get home?” Sho asked Satoshi.

“If we hurry, getting outside, hopefully not getting caught by any other vampire, around 20 minutes maybe?”

Sho looked at Kazunari again, whose hazy eyes indicated that he was again on the verge to falling unconscious.

"That might be too late, we have to do something quickly…,” he murmured, rubbing his forehead, searching for an idea. “Kazunari-kun, drink from my blood!"

Satoshi looked at the other man, shocked. "Sho-san, you know that he's not compatible with blood, it wouldn't help!"

"But… maybe... I don't know why but I have the feeling that my blood could help him!” the young doctor protested. He slightly shook his boyfriend's shoulders, trying to keep him from drifting off again. “Please, Kazunari-kun, just try it, alright? Maybe it helps?"

"Is your blood something special?" Kazunari-kun looked at Sho and his lips curled up, almost forming a smile.

"I don't know but... your father said it too, right? That I'm something special, you remember?"

"What are you talking about, Sho-san?"

The young doctor didn't answer but quickly wrapped his arms around Kazunari's body tighter, pulling him up until he was sitting on his lap, his face, cheek brushing against Sho's cheek, falling onto his boyfriend's neck that the other had exposed for him earlier. Pressing Kazunari closer, Sho tried again to convince him.

"It's not the time to talk, hurry, drink!"

"I – I never bit anyone before, and now I have to drink your blood? What... if I hurt you?" Kazunari asked, looking desperate.

"Please, Kazunari-kun, just try it, I don't want to lose you!" Sho pressed him, slightly shaking.

"Kazu, do it!” Satoshi finally encouraged his younger brother too, rubbing his hand over Kazunari's back. “It can't get any worse than it already is!"

Kazunari still hesitated a little but then, he lifted his weak arms a little, his small hands clenching the dirty fabric of Sho's ripped shirt. "Just a little bit and… don’t complain if I puke on you.”

Sho pulled the smaller man closer into his arms, and turned his head so that the younger man could have easier access to the blood vessel's pulsating under his skin. Kazunari couldn't say that he was excited about biting someone or that he was pleased by the idea of drinking real human blood due to the bad experiences he made with it but he was definitely moved by Sho's courage and willingness to sacrifice his own blood to him. Further, the tight embrace, feeling Sho's heartbeat pressing against his own chest, the man's firm grip around his waist and his boyfriend's usual seductive smell somehow intoxicated the young man and he closed his eyes for a moment.

He didn't know if it was from the lack of blood that was blurring his mind or something else, but suddenly, the wish to taste Sho's blood formed in his mind and made his heart race. He didn't want to bite him, to hurt him, but he wanted to know how it felt to taste the blood of the one he loved. Wondering, if this was what Satoshi usually thought when he was with Yui, Kazunari finally allowed himself to give in.

His hands moving weakly to clench Sho's arms, he clasped the other man, almost desperately. He pressed closer, his hair must tickle Sho's skin since the other cringed slightly and gasped for air. Kazunari breathed in that typical alluring scent radiating from his partner's body, mixed with a little sweat and dirt. Finally, he opened his eyes again and suddenly, he could spot the blood vessel on his lover's neck clearly, taking more color as if it was calling him. He could see Sho's heartbeat running through the man's body and within just a few second, his own heartbeat had caught up and adjusted to Sho's rhythm.

Kazunari wondered if this was the very first time that he ever felt the urge of being a _vampire_ , feeling the call for blood as he let his tongue run over the soft skin, slowly. He could feel how Sho pulled in the air sharply when Kazunari closed his eyes again and let his lengthened teeth touch his boyfriend's neck. His grip tightened and he trembled slightly from the excitement when he finally let his teeth sink into the soft skin. Not much, just for a second after he bit Sho, his fangs caused the blood vessel to pop open, spilling the red lifeblood from his partner's body.

The half-vampire cringed and whimpering as some kind of shock overwhelmed him. He pulled back immediately; suddenly scared that he could have hurt Sho but the other just readjusted the embrace around the smaller man and nodded to encourage him. Kazunari focused onto the small drops of blood that had formed on Sho's skin, a sigh escaped his lips and his breath started hitching. He leaned forward, darting his tongue at one of the small bite wounds. He slightly licked it, letting the dark liquid spread slowly in his mouth. It was warm and the taste was nothing compared to the metallic stink that blood usually gave off from those glasses that his brothers drank, or that he had tasted so far in his life. It was good. So good. Better than what he could have ever imagined.

Again, Kazunari licked at the small wounds until he laid his dry lips onto the skin and slightly started sucking. More blood invaded his mouth, wetting his tongue, found its way to his throat and when he gulped down for the first time, wondering if he might be able to keep the blood inside of his body. Surprised, found out that he didn't feel anything like the usual sickness in his stomach, nothing of the disgust he felt when he tasted the female vampire's blood earlier. He only felt warmth spreading through his body, giving him energy, giving him _life_ , like he had never experienced it with this useless body of his before.

The young man felt like he was still in trance when he realized that Sho was trembling beneath him. He gulped down a last time, pulling away from his boyfriend then, and taking a deep breath. He gulped, his breath was hitching and he felt his own blood pulsating through his body, like he felt it never before. When he fully realized, what he just did, he panicked.

“I'm – I'm so sorry, Sho-san, I-,” the half-vampire stumbled, looking at his boyfriend, who had turned quite pale from the sudden loss of blood. He cupped his lover's face, making him look into his eyes, desperately. “Sho-san, say something, are you OK? Did I... did I take too much blood?”

But Sho just shook his head slightly and smiled happily, his beautiful eyes shaping into crescent moons as he reached up with his hands to Kazunari's face, brushing his cheeks slightly before he let them slip upwards to ruffle the young man's hair lovingly. “Don't worry, Kazunari-kun, everything is alright. It's OK.”

“Thank God...,” Kazunari sighed in relief, wrapping his arms around Sho's neck to hug him.

When Sho cringed slightly from the pressure he felt on his neck's wounds, Kazunari immediately loosened the embrace and murmuring an apology. He let his hands wander to Sho's shoulders, following with his eyes until he spotted the wounds that he had just caused on his lover's neck. They were still leaking a little blood, creating small red lines running down Sho's body. The young half-vampire was still shocked, fascinated, confused about what had happened just now. He was moved by his boyfriend's gesture of allowing him to drink his blood and love overwhelmed him with that thought. Like he was still in trance, he let his fingers run over the two small red wounds on Sho's beautiful skin, and they suddenly started to heal, quickly, until nothing from his bite just a minute ago remained.

"Sho-san… what… who or what are you?" Kazunari asked whispering, looking into the other man's eyes again. "I don't feel sick at all from your blood and your body heals from itself..."

"No, no, I don't think that was me,” Sho shook his head. “I'm pretty sure I don't have self-healing powers. That must have been you!"

Kazunari blinked at him, confused. "It was me? I healed you?!"

"Obviously."

"What… why?” the young man asked puzzled. “Since when am I able to do that?"

"Maybe that's your hidden power,” the young doctor exclaimed, excitedly. “Satoshi-san, come here.”

“Eh?” the called man got pulled out from his voyeuristic rigor mortis, he was still feeling a bit like a stalker after witnessing such an intimate moment between his little brother and the young man. He blushed deeply.

"Show him your wrists," Sho said and after Kazunari had slipped off from his lap, kneeling on the ground in front of him, he reached out to untie the red-stained bandages that he had wrapped around Satoshi's wrist as a first aid measure. "Kazunari-kun, try to heal them."

"What?" the young man frowned at the hurt wrists of his brothers, then he raised his gaze up to the young doctor again, seeking for help as he felt a bit strained from the situation right now.

"Come on, try it. I'm sure you can do it," Sho encouraged him and Satoshi looked at his brother, wondering.

"How should I…"

"How did you do it with me?" Sho asked, smiling.

Kazunari frowned. "I don't know, I just thought that I didn't want you to feel pain and your… uhm… your beautiful skin to be hurt from such disgusting marks…," the young man whispered, blushing and Sho bit his lip.

He was so happy to hear that and had a hard time pulling himself together and not hug the other on the spot again. "Ok, so when you look at Satoshi-san's wounds, you want to cure them, right?"

"Of course," Kazunai nodded.

"So do it. Imagine it."

Insecure, Kazunari let his look wander between his brother and his boyfriend, the young doctor nodding encouraging again, still holding the hurt hands of Satoshi. Eventually, the younger brother cleared his throat and sat up straight, looking at his brother’s wounds. He lifted his hands and slightly touched Satoshi's wrists after Sho let go of them so that he could access them easily. Kazunari let his fingers slide over the wounds carefully, causing his brother to cringe a little as he felt the pain shooting up his arms. His younger brother then closed his eyes and tried to focus.

He thought about his wish to help his brother, to cure his wounds and tried to imagine how Satoshi's skin would become clear again with the pain fading away. Nothing happened at first and so he tried harder, trying to concentrate on whatever it was that made him able to cure Sho onto his brother now. He frowned, and felt his heart beat increasing, a slight film of sweat forming on his forehead.

The young half-vampire almost gave up as the wrists in his hands suddenly started feeling warmth and when Kazunari heard the marveling gasps from his friends, he opened his eyes – just to see his brother's wounds healing, slowly but surely.

"Oh my Gosh, it works!" the young man almost freaked out from the surprise, his heartbeat sped up. It was unbelievable; he really could heal Satoshi's wounds!

"You did it, see, you did it!" Sho laughed, touching his boyfriend's arm. "That's amazing, Kazunari-kun, amazing!"

Satoshi gaped at his brother, not sure of what to say. He looked at his wrists, the red marks almost completely faded away and if _he_ looked astonished, Kazunari looked even more shocked.

"Kazu… that's truly amazing!" his brother finally whispered, smiling broadly. "It doesn't hurt at all any longer, thank you so much!"

Seeing the smile on his brother's face, Kazunari couldn't help but mirror the happy expression and he let his gaze drop to his hands, turning them, moving his fingers, as if he hoped to be able to spot any sign of what had caused the miracle just now. But of course, he couldn't see anything, it just… had happened.

"I really have such powers?" he whispered, still unbelieving.

"Well, as you just witnessed, yourself, yes! And… why not? It's possible, I mean, Satoshi has some powers too after all, why should he be the only one?" Sho asked, slightly nodding to himself as if this explained everything.

"But I thought I'm completely useless!" Kazunari exclaimed, blurting out his most honest feelings.

"I _told_ you you're not, see? That's the proof, you just had to wait for the occasion to discover your powers," the young doctor said, proudly.

"So I can heal other people…"

"And that's really awesome, you know?" Sho was clearly excited about this development. He smiled at Kazunari happily. "Don't you think so too?"

Kazunari blushed and his heart jumped. It was indeed awesome, such a useful power, he had to admit surprisingly. He nodded, not able to hide the wide grin that formed on his lips and when Sho hugged him wildly, he flung his arms around his boyfriend's body too and squeezed him tightly. Satoshi laughed joyfully and ruffled through his brother's hair.

"Let's go, we have to check on the others," the older brother interrupted the celebration and immediately, Kazunari stiffened, ashamed by the sudden realization of having his brother watched him being so intimate with Sho.

They loosened their embrace and nodded, finally standing up and following the oldest to find their way out of the vacant factory, where they would meet up with the vampire hunters and Yui. Satoshi's steps sped up a little as he realized that he would finally be able to hold the young woman in his arms again. He grinned and fell into a slight run while behind him, Sho reached out his hand to Kazunari, who shyly took the offered hand, getting pulled along.

TBC


	18. The last Secret

As soon as her father had told her to hide in her room, Ai had followed his order immediately. She didn't know those strangers whom had barged into their home, dragging Masaki with them, but her instincts had immediately told her that they were something really evil. She became scared, even before her father had allowed them to set a foot into their house. Even before she – hidden behind the banister on the upper floor - had spotted the pale, dark dressed creatures invading the corridor downstairs, she had felt that they had bad intentions towards her family and that they were dangerous. _Really_ dangerous.

Shivering, the young girl ran into her room, slamming the door close immediately when she heard her father sending her away, panic in his voice. Quickly, she had searched for the key in the drawer of her desk, which she had just used recently, and she locked the door firmly, even placing her chair in front of it, wondering if this would even be of any help when it came to the worst case scenario and someone broke the door.

She was sitting on her bed now, hugging her huge plush teddy, clasping onto it and she was already fighting with tears, thinking about what could take place downstairs just at this moment. She was scared and wanted to hide, yes, but on the other side, she also wanted to be down there together with her Daddy and Masaki, helping them. But of course, she wouldn't be of any use, she was just a little girl, maybe with a sharp tongue but with only limited body strength, as she knew just too well herself from the playful fights with her friends.

Sobbing, she pressed the teddy closer, burying her face in its soft fur and when she heard a painful scream from her Dad downstairs, followed by a worried yell of Masaki, she cringed badly. She felt the urge of jumping up, opening the door again, and rushing to the two men but her father's words echoed in her head. _”Don't let them in and don't come out, no matter what happens, no matter what you will hear!”_ So she stayed where she was for minutes that felt like hours, trying to come up with _anything_ that might be helpful in this situation, but she just couldn't, cursing the fact that she was in first place a helpless child...

The young girl startled when she suddenly heard a knocking noise coming from her window and she frowned when she noticed that someone was outside there, obviously hanging on the wall in front of her window, wanting to come in. Ai stiffened for a moment, again recalling her Daddy's words but for some reason, she wasn't scared by the creature out there. She wiped away her tears and slowly let go of her plush toy, placing it carefully on her bed. The girl climbed off the bed and with careful steps, she started approaching her window. It was dark outside and so she couldn't see clearly until she was pretty close and she backed off a little when the creature outside knocked against the window pane again.

"Let me in, little girl,” she could hear the dull voice of a man from outside. “Let me in!”

She focused her eyes on him, trying to recognize him but she couldn't. Still, for some strange reason, he looked a bit familiar – maybe he reminded her on someone - and she wasn't scared of the unknown person. However, as the good girl she was, she didn't open the window, of course not. 

With a determined voice, she declared, “I can't, I promised not to let in any strangers.”

The man outside seemed to sigh, lowering his head a little before he returned his full attention to the little girl with the critical look on her face. “There _are_ strangers in your house already, right? And aren't they hurting your Daddy and your friend? I'm Masaki's father, if you let me in, I promise, I'll help them!”

“Really? You aren't lying?”

“I'm not, little princess, I promise,” the stranger said, sounding desperate. “Please, trust me!”

“What's your name?” the girl asked curiously, still keeping a few steps of safe distance between her and the window.

“Okada,” the man answered immediately. “Okada Junichi. You can call me Uncle Junichi if you want. And you're Ai-chan, right? I saw you in the night from Christmas when I came to visit my sons.”

“Are you a vampire?”

“I am.”

“You're not that scary somehow...,” she said, wondering.

“See? That's because I'm one of the good guys. So don't you think you can trust me?” Okada smiled at her, hoping that it would help.

But Ai was still careful, not completely convinced if this was a bad trick from the other intruders. She decided to test that man who claimed to be a relative of Masaki and his brothers. 

“If you're really Maa-chan's father, tell me what's his favorite color!” she demanded.

“Eh? His favorite color?!” Okada startled, obviously surprised by this question.

“You don't know the favorite color of your own son?!”

“Ah, wait, wait, I know it, it's...,” the vampire thought hard. “I know, it's Green!”

Ai pouted, glaring at him. “That was just a lucky guess!”

“But I guessed right, didn't I?” Okada asked, he definitely didn't have time to play games with the little girl now, time was running and the longer it took him to get into the house, the higher the risk that his son and Ai's father would be hurt, maybe even killed.

“What's Kazunari-kun's favorite hobby?”

“Video games!” came the answer quick like a gunshot.

“Too easy...,” Ai shrugged off. “What's the name of Sato-nii's girlfriend?”

Ridiculously caught in the quiz, despite the time pressure, Okada tried to remember what his oldest son had told him yesterday while they were preparing the vampire's bivouac. “Wait, I know that one, they told me! Give me a second...”

“Hurry!” the young girl pressed.

“Yui-chan! Her name is Yui, right?”

“Right.”

Okada sighed, relieved. “So... now let me in, quick! We don't want to lose any more time, right?" He looked at Ai with sincere eyes and he knew that the girl was fighting with herself right now, weighting the pros and cons of disobeying her father's orders.

Indeed, Ai had a hard time to decide. Listening to her father and being trapped in her own room, waiting for everything to end; only being able to hope for the best was one option. The other was, not listening to her father and letting this stranger in who said he was Masaki's father – which he kind of had proven by answering her questions – to let him help them, but running the risk that she would get caught in a trap, maybe risking her life.

In the end, when she heard further screams from downstairs, her fear about her father and Masaki won over her obedience and she finally agreed. Nervously, she reached out her slightly shaking hands to push the window open. "OK, OK, come in."

As soon as the window went open, Okada climbed in, skilled like a cat and when he stood next to Ai, he leaned down, brushing his hand through her soft black hair and smiled at her. “Don't worry, little angel, everything will be fine now. You better stay here, I'm going downstairs so that I can help them.”

Ai nodded, feeling strangely relieved.

+-+-+

Fortunately, the escape from the old factory didn't cause any problems. Once Satoshi - followed by Sho and Kazunari - passed the grand hall in which the two vampire hunters were fighting earlier, he only found the two guys from Osaka there. They were sitting on the ground and panting, recovering from their fight, exhausted but thankfully not seriously hurt. The vampire they were supposed to face, Yu, had seemingly disappeared. Most likely, he had just followed Mao's and Subaru's examples and vanished into the darkness, abandoning his opponents without finishing the fight. Sho and the brothers helped the two men outside to reach the vampire hunter's van, which was still protected by Ryuhei. He opened it to let Yui out, and Satoshi could finally take his beloved girlfriend in his arms again, hugging her tightly.

The group split again and while the Osaka-guys took their van to follow the others, the other four hopped into Satoshi's car (Sho deciding to come back here tomorrow to pick up his own car) and drove ahead to the half-vampire's house.

"You owe us an explanation, by the way, Sho-san," Satoshi spat out almost immediately when they all had settled in the car. 

He looked into the rearview mirror, darting a strict look at the young doctor sitting on the backseat, close to Kazunari, who leaned his head against his boyfriend's shoulder, exhausted but relieved. They were still holding hands.

"Hm?" Sho asked wondering and Kazunari lifted his gaze at him from the side, looking puzzled before directing his look to the rearview mirror, meeting the reflection of Satoshi's look.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for your help and everything but I just have to ask. I know I'm not the strongest but I'm stronger than most human beings and nevertheless you seemed so much more skilled than I am. I think, normal people wouldn't be able to fight as you did," Satoshi started, remembering the strength and willpower Sho had shown during their fight with Mao. "And there's more, this stuff with your blood… the fact that Kazu could drink from you without any problems, why is that?"

Sho looked caught and he blushed slightly as he looked at Kazunari, a bit insecure. The other was still confused as if he only realized now, what all of this meant.

"Well, I…," Sho started, his eyes still focused onto his boyfriend, whose gaze he couldn't read completely. Was the other curious? Scared? He was insecure, for sure, well, they both were, as it seemed. "I'm not one of the bad guys, you have to believe me."

"We do, that's out of question," Satoshi continued. "I would never doubt you regarding this. You helped us, you saved Kazu, and we'll be indebted to you because of this forever. But I want to understand who you are, or let me say, _what_ you are and what intentions you have."

Sho enforced the grip around Kazunari's fingers as he felt the latter’s hand slightly trembling from the insecurity, maybe even from fear. Surely, Kazunari had noticed too that Sho wasn't _normal_ , never had been. Since the very first moment they have met, things between them were a little strange and even if Kazunari didn't seem to _remember_ , Sho was sure that he had felt it. Felt that there was something linking them that was more than just the affection toward each other, which they had developed since that meeting in the super market. Maybe, it was finally time to reveal everything, Sho thought and pulled in some more air between his parted lips. He pressed Kazunari's hand tighter and then he looked back at Satoshi.

"I didn't tell you the whole truth about me… or about my connection with Kazunari-kun, that's true," he finally began.

"What do you mean?" Kazunari whispered.

"It's not like I've been _lying_ to you," the doctor tried to make clear, now focusing on his boyfriend again. "At least that wasn't my intention but since you didn't recognize me, I thought it would be better to go with the flow… I might have been selfish though and I apologize for that."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Satoshi frowned confused, not able to follow his friend's explanation.

"OK, let me tell you the facts first," Sho said, rubbing his forehead, wondering if this was the right point to start his story. "First of all, I _am_ human, but I might not be as normal as other humans."

"You don't say," the older half-vampire brother snorted slightly, hiding a smirk. “I think we got that so far, Sho-san.”

"Did you ever hear of _guardians_?" Sho asked no one in particular.

Kazunari gazed at the reflection of his brother's eyes in the rearview mirror before he looked at Sho again. Satoshi and Yui, who was sitting in the passenger's seat, exchanged a confused look.

"Unless you're speaking about the _Guardians of the Galaxy_ , I’m afraid, no," Kazunari said, trying to make a joke but his slightly trembling voice revealed his nervousness.

Sho felt sorry for him for hiding his true nature up to now. He better hurried to explain everything before risking to lose the brothers' trust. He took a deep breath.

"In short, a _guardian_ is someone who's destined to take care of other people during their lives, to help them, guide them. It's some kind of assignment, if you want to call it like that, a life-task and it's something that often gets inherited by blood. People like that can focus on one single person or they can be assigned to a larger group, permanently or temporarily. Guardians don't really have any _special powers_ or anything. But other than most humans, they have a very strong will, are pretty smart, and get educated in fields like medicine, psychology, and education. They have a very good understanding for the feelings, troubles and pain of others and the strong will to help them. Some of them are even emphatic, some of them develop huge strength to be able to support their _fosterlings_..."

“And you're one of them... a _guardian_?” Yui, who turned around in her seat to face Sho fascinated while listening to him, asked and the young doctor nodded.

"You're a doctor, it makes sense," Satoshi murmured.

Yui chimed in again. "Wait, does this mean that every doctor or teacher is a _guardian_?"

"A lot of them are but not everyone, no. Of course, there are also people who don't belong to our mold and are just doctors for the money and such,” Sho clarified immediately. “I myself decided to become a doctor because of that guardian thing. I wanted to support people and I figured, it was the best way to help a lot of people, in my case children."

"Why did I never hear of anything like that?" Satoshi wondered, voicing his thoughts out loud.

"We're not really _visible_ , we like to stay in the back and not make a big deal out of it. Our assignment it so help where needed, in silence," Sho explained and it made sense. "Mostly, our own fosterlings don't even know that we're guardians and they don't know anything about the system."

"OK… and how is that connected to us now? You're _assigned_ to us? To Kazunari?" Satoshi asked further. "And how does this explain your strength and the stuff with your blood? Is that something like… magic?"

“I'll explain my connection to you later on. About the blood...,” somehow, Sho seemed not to be able to grasp the whole situation himself, as he tried to find a fitting explanation. "Maybe it's something like magic, yes. Like the power I was able to develop in order to protect him. I'm not completely sure why Kazunari is not allergic to my blood. Maybe it's because I _wanted_ to help him _so badly_ that my body did something to my blood... I don't know if he's only not allergic to _my_ blood or to every guardian's blood. I never experienced something like that."

“You say you inherit this whole thing, right? So it's a family thing, it's something in your genes?” the older half-vampire asked.

“In general, it is, yes,” Sho nodded. “My grandfather was a guardian, my mother is one, too.”

"Wait, this is going a bit too fast for me,” Kazunari, who had been quiet the whole time up to now finally spoke up, freeing his hand from Sho's grip to bring both of his hands up to his temples, pressing against them, before he looked at his boyfriend, frowning. “I'm sorry that may not be the main focus right now and I may sound selfish to even think about that right now but... does this mean you approach me because you're a guardian? Because you wanted to help me, since it's your _assignment_?"

Kazunari had a hard time to understand the whole thing; it was just too much information all at once. He was confused, he wasn't even sure if he understood everything that Sho said up to now correctly. He felt torn apart between feeling fascination for the so-called guardians, respect toward that person in front of him and disappointment in realizing that this could most likely mean that it wasn't particularly _him_ who made Sho wanting to get close to him, to start a relationship with him. Did this mean that more than _love_ it was just something like... _sympathy_ that made Sho like him?

"I got close to you because I wanted to help you, true," the man admitted.

"Did you,” Kazunari cleared his throat as his voice broke slightly. “Did you make me fall for you so that you could fulfill your _job_ more easily? Did it... satisfy you to take care of a freak like me?"

Sho looked at his boyfriend, shocked that the younger could even come to think like that. "Oh gosh, Kazunari-kun, do you really believe that? No! No, wait, you're misunderstanding!"

"I'm the perfect _match_ for someone like you, aren't I?” the half-vampire murmured, absentmindedly. “You must have had a lot of fun with my messed up body and mind… I'm not surprised that you felt sorry for a freak like me…"

"Kazunari-kun, that's not true!"

"Are you even really in love with me as you said?" the younger looked at the man sitting next to him, fear showing in his eyes, hurt as well. He looked miserable.

"Of course I am! What are you saying?" Sho tried to assure him.

"That you fell for me after you met me because you're my guardian and you pity me? _If_ you even fell for me, that is…"

Sho was truly alarmed now. He was sure that Kazunari was talking himself into a swirl of doubts right now and he knew the other too well, he had to stop it before it poisoned the other's mind and lacking self-conscious again. "No! No Kazunari-kun it's nothing like that. It's not like that, really!"

"What is it then?” the half-vampire almost exploded, not able to control the chaotic mess of feelings bubbling up his chest right now. “Explain it to me as long as the car is driving and I can't run away from you."

Sho wasn't sure, if he was imagining it, but somehow he felt like Satoshi slowed down a little. However, he had to fix this, before it became something too big. Carefully, the doctor reached out to hold Kazunari's hands again, clasping them tightly, determined after having them slip through his fingers just now. He tugged them slightly, causing the young man to look at him, directly into his eyes. "It's more the other way round. I became _your_ guardian _because_ I fell for you. I _chose_ you to become my assignment so to say…and I didn't fall only for your weak side, more for your loving and caring side. For _all_ of your sides."

Confused, the other looked at him. "What loving and caring side do I have? What are you talking about?"

"That you can't see it yourself makes you even more precious…," Sho murmured, smiling lovingly and brushed his thumbs over the soft skin of his boyfriend's hands.

"Don't distract me with ridiculous compliments; explain to me what you are talking about!" Kazunari said, trying to pull his hands away but Sho didn't allow him to free himself yet.

"You might not remember but the fact is we have already met in the past."

"We got to know each other in the supermarket.”

“No, it was way before that. You might not remember but we met years before," Sho repeated, piercing Kazunari with his determined look.

The young doctor was serious, Kazunari could feel it and suddenly, he remembered that familiar feeling that spread between him and Sho from time to time, when he didn't expect it and couldn't really tell where it was coming from.

"Wait... I really don't _remember_ … but…," Kazunari hesitated, watching at the doctor. "Indeed, sometimes I have the _feeling_ that I know you from earlier and that we have met before the day in the supermarket…" The young vampire tried his best to remember, but still, he couldn't find that particular missing piece to complete the puzzle in his mind.

"See?!” Sho seemed to hope. “So maybe, you didn't erase your memory from that time completely…"

"What time, what happened back then?” Satoshi interrupted the two men. “Don't make it so thrilling now, Sho-san!"

"Alright, alright. So, Kazunari was still a teenager back then and it seemed like he had a very hard time,” the doctor started, turning his look at his boyfriend again. “At first, it seemed to me that it was pure coincidence that our ways crossed, but later on, I came to believe that it was our fate to meet each other, because I might be able to help you," he smiled carefully at Kazunari. "You were pretty smashed back then. I met you in a rainy afternoon and you said that there was no place for you to go-"

Kazunari's brother frowned. "Wait, are you talking about that time when Kazu ran away from home and wanted to kill himself?"

"That must be it, yes."

"Oh… I - I indeed don't remember that time very well, it's all like a big white blur in my head," Kazunari admitted, frowning and trying to recall a few more details from that time.

"You were like in a delirium when I found you, unresponsive,” Sho continued. “I thought you were in big trouble and tried to talk to you, you looked so pale… you didn't want to tell me about your problems but you murmured some stuff about your brothers the whole time, about your body and about being a failure in life. That you shouldn't be allowed to exist… it was heart-breaking. You seemed to have a high fever and I took you to my university dorm, which was nearby but I couldn't help you despite my medical training. It was so frustrating. You started drifting off, murmuring some stuff about vampires... I have to admit, first I thought you've gone crazy,” the doctor chuckled at the memory. “I was desperate because no matter what I tried, I couldn't help you, your body just became weaker and weaker. You forbid me to call an ambulance or to tell anybody that I found you though and I respected your wish. You told me to let you die, that it would be better for your brothers and that you didn't want to be a burden to anyone any longer. I was so touched by your thoughts…"

"Because I wanted to die?" Kazunari murmured, and his look saddened.

Sho shook his head. "Because you wanted to die to allow your brothers to have a better life! You were so self-sacrificing, you could only think about them back then."

"Maybe I was just tired from life…," the young half-vampire countered.

"Maybe that played a role too. But I'm convinced that your feelings toward your brothers were sincere," the doctor continued, still shaking his head slightly.

"And that…?"

"That’s what made me fall for you, yes,” another nod. “I didn't want to let you die but I realized I couldn't help you – I didn't know about your blood issue back then. I was so desperate that even when I called for help you still refused to let anybody else but me touch you. I somehow managed to convince you to allow me to bring you back to your family, even if you didn't intend to go back at first. I hoped that they could help you. I left you there in front of the house shortly before sunset – I'm still sorry about that but since you were talking about all that vampire stuff, I was pretty nervous and didn't want to risk meeting _vampires_ back then…"

"Understandable. If this story is true... then it's already amazing that you even _believed_ me in first place," Kazunari murmured. He couldn't believe it... how long had it been since that time?

"I just _had_ to believe you. You seemed to be so honest; it was as if you put a spell on me. However, I waited until they found you – your brothers – and since that day I kept on watching you."

"You _stalked_ us since then, you mean?"

Sho pouted. "If you call it _stalking_ , it sounds creepy! I watched over you, just like a guardian would do! I quickly found out that indeed you were speaking the truth about the vampire stuff. I was shocked at first but then, I started to prepare so that I would be able to help and protect you. Besides finishing my studies to become a doctor, I started training Kendo seriously and worked hard to become stronger. I started reading lots of things about vampires and collecting knowledge about that topic.” 

Kazunari could only gape at his boyfriend, still wondering if he should admire him or simply be shocked. 

“It was pretty hard – it still is – to divide the things that are pure shit and those that are possibly real, you can't really call the literature you find about vampires _technical literature_."

"Of course not…," Satoshi murmured, exactly knowing what Sho was talking about. For most people, the creatures of the night were only figures from novels after all, whether in a romantic or scary way.

"However, I learned a lot about the species, even if the existence of _half-vampires_ never crossed my way before you told me about it. I didn't read anything about that," the doctor concluded his story.

"Are we really that rare, Satoshi?" the younger brother asked.

The half-vampire frowned. "I think there are a bunch of half-bloods spread over the world but it's still a taboo for a vampire and a human to get children, so it depends on how they are treated by the specific clans. I heard about some being killed right away after birth – we've been lucky regarding this, thanks to our father. Everything known commonly about half-vampires is that it is prohibited to. Even the few available literature tells that. However, Sho-san,” he darted his look at the young doctor again. “You basically say that you fell in love with my brother about ten years ago, that you watch over us – him – since then from afar, trained yourself and all this in order to protect him when it would be needed, right? Even if you were hidden in the shadows and didn't have the chance to meet him for a long time?"

"Basically, that's it, yes."

“Wow, that's stunning,” Yui gaped, Kazunari doing the same.

"You love me in secret for over ten years?" he whispered in disbelief.

Sho nodded. "I do."

"Are you _crazy_?!” the younger burst, aghast. “I feel really strange now, I feel so... guilty... You… I don't know, you could have said something!"

"I felt like it wasn't the right time… and you didn't seem ready for whatever I could offer you."

"You didn't only want to protect him once you are in contact with him, you wanted to win his heart over, right?" Yui asked Sho, understanding, and the other blushed.

"I'm a very selfish guardian, I have to admit," Sho said. "My grandfather once told me that it can be dangerous to let personal feelings influence the work of guardians. It's not prohibited but… we're told to take care. But I let love lead me. I felt kind of guilty because of that so by keeping myself away from you, I kind of wanted to… atone."

"Oh I don't think that's selfish,” Yui shook her head. “I mean, come on, you're a guardian, you spend your life helping people as a pediatrician and then you fall in love and in addition you decide to watch over that cute little half-vampire who wanted to throw away his life for his brothers' sake… I think it's adorable!" the young woman said honestly, encouraging the other.

"You really watched over me all this time in secret?" Kazunari bit his lower lip. "Wow, you did a great job… you even faked to be surprised when I told you I'm actually 27 and not 17, as you though… wait, were you mocking me?!"

"Kazunari-kun… please," Sho pleaded. "I had to keep up my role? It would have been strange if I didn't react like that, right?"

"Probably," Satoshi chimed in.

Again, Sho raised his voice to continue his story. "So, when you and your brothers got thrown out from your clan's mansion – back then I didn't really understand why – I wasn't able to do anything, I'm still only human after all – more or less. Then I moved to your neighborhood and opened my practice there. However, since you barely left the house, I couldn't meet you… so I couldn't believe it when we coincidentally met in that supermarket and I'm sorry, I know it wasn't funny for you but it was my luck that you fainted there and I was close by, it seems like I was at the right place at the right time…"

"Like fate, right? You thought, it might be a chance," Yui chimed in, a loving smile on her lips. She could understand Sho's feelings very well, the feelings of someone being in love. "How cute…"

"I couldn't resist. And then, since we met again, I wanted to be close to you, I wanted to be part of your life and when I realized that you might like me too, I felt like the happiest person in the world."

"So you wanted me to fall for you too," the half-vampire concluded.

"As selfish as I am, I wanted you to fall in love with me too, yes."

"And I did," Kazunari blushed at his confession.

"You did… I still can't believe my luck," Sho took in a deep breath. “I just hope that I didn't ruin everything now.”

Kazunari blushed and averting his eyes from Sho he whispered, "Well, who could not fall for such an adorable person like you are? You're too good to be true, you're too good for this world. I knew I don't deserve you."

"Don't say that, Kazunari-kun!”

"You're really stupid, falling in love with someone like me, you could have anyone in this world!" the young half-vampire shook his head in disbelief.

“But I wouldn't want to have any other than you," the other replied. "I really mean it. So… if it's possible, I beg you to forgive me for not being honest to you and for… well, stalking you and your brothers for years now... OK, saying it like that makes it sound really creepy, I have to admit."

"It is, somehow... but your intentions have always been good, right?” Satoshi said, finally joining the conversation again and pulling the attention of Sho and Kazunari toward him. “Kazu, I think you should forgive him and marry him,” the older brother chuckled and grinned even broader when he saw Kazunari blushing again.

“I – I...,” the young man seemed speechless and it took him some time before he spoke up again. “Of course I forgive you everything you might have done. As long, as you promise not to stalk me in a creepy way from now on and protect me openly.”

“Of course! That's what I intended anyway!” Sho agreed, enthusiastically. "No creepy stalking, no more tracking of your cell phone –"

"What?!" the younger looked at him, shocked. "You did _what_?!"

"Ah," Sho blushed. "I mean… I… I never used it to stalk you, I just –"

"You used it to find us at the factory, didn't you?" Satoshi assumed, and Sho nodded.

"I just used it since it was an emergency, I swear!"

“OK...,” Kazunari said, sighing. "So no more tracking without _asking_ me before..."

"No more tracking without asking you," his boyfriend agreed.

"Good…," Kazunari bit his lower lip, suddenly turning insecure. “I... there's something that I have to tell you, too.”

"Something else is bugging you?” his boyfriend wondered. “I have told you everything, I swear!"

“Well, actually there is something... that _you_ have to forgive _me_ ,” the younger man murmured.

“To forgive you?” Sho wondered. “What did you do?”

Taking a deep breath, with his face turning red like a tomato, Kazunari started to confess. "Uhm well… you know, Sho-san... I kissed…"

"Kissed?” the other asked, surprised. “What? Who? What are you talking about?"

"The vampire woman, when she forced me to drink some of her blood," he burst before lowering his head. "She… kissed me… I’m so sorry!"

"Why are you sorry, Kazu?" Satoshi asked, laughing. "It wasn't your fault."

"Bu – but I wanted _Sho_ to be my first kiss and that woman ruined everything!" his brother protested.

"Kazunari-kun…," Sho looked at his boyfriend, touched by the other's thoughts, the red blush still adorning his face. "Look, it doesn’t count, OK? Let's say if you didn’t _want_ to kiss her, it doesn’t count."

"But…"

"We can erase it. Do you want that?" Sho asked the younger, his face already so close that Kazunari wouldn't be able to flee anyway, if the doctor would just lean a bit forward now. But he waited for the young man's permission, like the gentleman he was.

"Wait, guys, wait, are you going to make out in _my_ car now?!" Satoshi chimed in.

"It's just a kiss, Darling, let them be," Yui said softly, putting her arm onto her boyfriend's thigh, not that it was needed to keep the two in the back row from doing what they were up to, they were now in their own world anyway.

A bit puzzled – and indeed not paying attention to Satoshi's complaints at all - Kazunari finally nodded and when the doctor cupped his face with both hands, his heart pounding like crazy, even more than it did before when he was drinking from Sho's neck. He closed his eyes and leaned a bit forward to meet his boyfriend's lips halfway. It was a kiss, much more tender than the one Kazunari had experienced earlier, forced on him by that woman with brutal force. Instead, Sho’s lips laid shyly on his and the young half-vampire slightly trembled from the sensation.

Compared to Mao's lips, Sho’s were warm, warm and soft, and they made Kazunari feel ticklish all over, excited from the love that spread through his whole body, threatening to overwhelm his senses. In so many ways, it was _so_ much better to kiss _Sho_. Just as the young doctor had promised, the memory of Kazunari’s actual _first kiss_ with that woman got erased from his mind and replaced immediately with this exciting experience. The fluttering of thousands of butterflies filled his stomach and it seemed like every last bit of pain, fear or insecurity that the young man might have felt during the latest sequence of events, was completely forgotten now.

His eyes still closed, Kazunari reached his hands to settle them around Sho’s neck, to pull himself closer into the hug, to deepen the kiss. His mind was flooded with thoughts about the man he was kissing right now. He admired him, he was thankful to him for everything he did tonight as well as all those years since their very first meeting. He wanted to be with him, forever, he was completely sure that he loved him, absolutely.

+-+-+

Of course, Ai was too curious to just stay upstairs and wait, like that vampire had told her to, especially when she heard all those screams and noises, which she couldn't really connect. Too curious, too nervous, too scared that something could happen to her father or Masaki and she would never be able to meet them again. With that, after hesitating for a few minutes, she gathered all of her courage and went out of her room again. She tiptoed through the upper corridor, passing the bathroom and her father's rooms and finally stopped at the edge to the banister, sitting down and pressing her little back against the wall behind her. If she just turned a little bit, she would be able to look downstairs and to see the scene, but it was surely better to hide and not show her face to the vampires, she thought. Nevertheless, she couldn't resist to risk a look and so – just for a moment – she turned her head and peeked through the wooden sticks of the banister.

What she saw made her breath hitch and for a few seconds she couldn't pull her eyes away. It was something that once you saw it, it could never become unseen. Her father was held as a hostage by one of the vampires, a young looking guy who had started to laugh like he was crazy. Masaki was trying to get close to him – most likely with the intention to free him – and the new incomer, Masaki's father seemingly attacked the other vampire, battling with him. The young girl could hear battle screams and accusations, swear-words getting thrown around, some of them she didn't even know. Her father screamed when that vampire started beating him up and Masaki yelled prayers of letting him go and taking him instead. But the vampire just pushed him away as if he wasn't even worth paying attention to. Ai's eyes filled with tears, her small hands were shaking and she turned away to hide again, thinking hard about something she could do to help. But no, she didn't know what she could do, there was nothing coming up in her mind. Trembling, she pulled her knees closer, hugging them, and tears started running down her cheeks.

Jun saw stars when Toma buried his fingernails in his body. He felt the sharp nails penetrating the skin over his stomach and it felt like several sharp knives had bored into his body. His world started to spin and he could feel his stomach contracting painfully. The stinging pain ran through his whole body, made him feel like he wasn't able to move a single muscle and it almost made him black out. He could feel liquid coming up his throat and when he tasted the metallic blood inside his mouth, he doubled over and let everything drip out of his mouth. Everything that he could get rid of at that moment. 

He squinted his eyes, giving in to the feeling of dizziness that would have caused him to crash if he wasn't held up by his attacker. Just as he opened his eyes again, the world suddenly became clearer. He noticed that the red splashes spilled over his floor were forming strange patterns. He couldn't understand _what_ exactly Masaki was yelling, but again the other was trying to attack his captor and free him. Again, he seemed to fail.

Masaki screamed, angrily, scared, out of mind. His vision was blurred by a curtain of tears, his mind fogged with the sheer fear of losing his boyfriend. There was this unbearable, immense self-hatred that bubbled up his chest and he cursed himself for being so incapable of everything. Over and over he tried to attack that Toma guy, tried to free Jun from his grip but he quickly learned that he didn't stand a chance against him. 

In the meantime, at least his father had found another way into the house. Even if Masaki wasn't sure if he really wanted to know the details on how he managed to come in because following logical arguments, Ai was the only one who was able to let him in and she was supposed to hide in her room, where she hopefully still was. A quick look upwards to the banister showed him that nobody was there so maybe, she was still in her room like she was told. Focusing onto Jun and Toma again, Masaki cringed when he saw Toma's long fingers which were still gripping from Jun's fresh, red blood, framing his boyfriend's face, turning it to force him face his hostage-taker.

“What is it, Jun,” the intruder asked, amused. “Can't stand it any longer? I didn't hurt you too badly, you shouldn't die from that now, don't worry. I'll give you a slow and painful death, I want to enjoy it after all. And I want to taste your blood... don't you want to know how delicious it is?”

“Don't you dare touch his blood, I warn you!” Masaki burst out in anger, while holding his side where he had taken a strong hit earlier. Maybe, Toma had managed to break one of his ribs... but that wasn't important to the half-vampire at the moment.

“You warn me?” Toma chuckled. “Yeah, sure, and how do _you_ want to stop me from doing it? You little scum, you're not able to do _anything_ to protect him, don't you see? You're weak, you don't stand a chance against me.”

With an angry yell, Masaki stormed forward, trying to aim for the vampire's arms which was still holding Jun's hands together behind the young man's back. The vampire just took a step aside, pulling his hostage with him and within the movement of his attack, Masaki stumbled over, crashed against the wall and sank to the floor. Groaning, he held his hurt rib again, his breath panting.

“Masaki...,” Jun suddenly murmured, before he spat out a bit more blood. “Masaki, please... flee...”

The young man turned around, his back pressed against the wall behind him, his hand hovering over the spot where his hurt rib was pushing against something inside him that made it almost impossible for him to breathe. He cursed, choking. His forehead was sweaty from the pain.

“I will not leave you behind, never,” he whispered, looking at his boyfriend, determined.

“Masaki, please... he can't get both of us at the same time and as long as the other two are busy…,” he looked at Okada and Kusanagi who were still fighting, seemingly almost at the same level. “It's your chance. Please... take Ai with you and flee!”

“Jun,” Masaki whimpered. “Jun, I can't...”

“Do it, Masaki! Save her, please, that's most important and you know that!”

Of course, Masaki knew that and there was nothing more that he wished to do right now than to save the little princess. Nothing but saving both, her _and_ Jun. But his boyfriend was right, the little girl's life was the most important, he couldn't afford risking her life because of his selfish wishes. Sometimes, you need to be ready to give up on something for the sake of something else, even if it breaks your heart. 

TBC


	19. Showdown

“You two are just too cute, really,” Toma said in a sarcastic sing-song voice, looking at Masaki. “You're breaking my heart, seriously... So... what will you do now, vampire-bastard?”

The challenging undertone in the vampire's voice didn't help at all for Masaki to make the _right_ decision. He knew that everything that he would do now would bring about consequences he might hate. No matter which path he'd decide on – trying to free Jun again or taking Ai and running away - someone he loved would get exposed to the risk of getting hurt or even killed. And this made his heart constrict in a worse pain than the one running along his side at the moment. He looked between Jun and Toma, still not completely able to decide if he should try freeing Jun again or if he just should run, taking Ai with him and flee, like what Jun asked of him.

Hesitating was a bad idea, Masaki thought just a second later, since Toma had seized the chance to kick him with full force on his side again. Almost blanking out from the pain, the young half-vampire doubled over and for endless seconds, he wasn't able to breath. Jun yelled his name and Masaki could hear the shocked shriek of a young girl. His heart cringed and as soon as he could see clear again, he turned around and glanced upstairs where he spotted Ai, half hiding behind the banister and her little hands clutching her mouth.

“Damned, Ai, go... go back to your room!” Jun said between clenched teeth and when Masaki shot a quick look at his boyfriend, he could see tears running down his cheeks, his look filled with sheer angst. “Please... Masaki, please... take her away -” the rest of the sentence got drowned in painful moans as Toma hit Jun over and over again to make him shut up.

The vampire hit him badly enough for his eyes to roll and a second later, Jun lost consciousness.

“Jun!” Masaki yelled, wanting to crawl closer.

Toma clicked his tongue, looking at the limped bundle in his hands and he sighed theatrically. “These human beings are just too weak for everything, that's no fun, really.”

“Let go of him,” Masaki pressed between his lips, glaring at the vampire.

“Huh?” Toma looked at him with lifted eyebrows. “Well, I don't need such a listless hostage anyway,” he said, then let Jun's unconscious body collapse to the ground.

Masaki yelped, but he couldn't move quickly enough with his injury to catch Jun's fall and so the young man slumped to the floor, landing in the puddles of his own blood that he had spat out earlier. Toma glared at him, before forming a devilish smile and he let his eyes slowly wander upwards toward the direction of the banisters.

“I think I need a new hostage,” he whispered demonically, letting his tongue run over his lips and the tips of his fangs, chuckling as he looked back at Masaki, who went blank.

“No...,” he just murmured, shaking his head slightly.

“Ai-chan?” Toma started taking a few steps around Masaki, so that he could see clearer what was happening on the upper floor. “A-i-chan, come here, cutie.”

“Ai-chan, don't listen to him!” Masaki screamed, earning another painful kick by the vampire, causing him to moan.

“Come here, little girl, come here,” the vampire said again, his voice sounding too sweet to be trustworthy. Then, he enforced the pressure in his voice by starting to yell. “Come down here, immediately or I will kill both of them, your precious Daddy and this freak!”

“Don't listen to him and go back to your room, Ai-chan!” Masaki repeated as he looked up again, spotting the little girl looking worriedly downstairs from between the banister's sticks. Toma kicked him again to shut him up.

“I'll start counting down, Ai-chan, and if you're not down here by zero, I'll come upstairs and get you. Your decision,” Toma threatened the little girl, his voice again sounding sweet and alluring. “I can also force you with just my will,” he added, letting his eyes shine red for a second. “But where will the fun be then, right?” he chuckled, sounding insane.

The young girl was shaking. She had never been so afraid of someone and had never been so scared of something bad that was happening to people she loved before. She wasn't able to think straight, should she listen to the vampire's words or to Masaki? Desperately, the young girl looked for the other vampire, the one that she had just let into their house a short while ago, but he seemed to be still busy fighting that other vampire and surely wasn't able to help them. What should she do? The vampire downstairs had already started his countdown, but she hadn't reacted to his order yet, not only because she didn't know what to do but also because her feet were trembling so much that she wasn't even sure if she would be able to walk, even if it was just one step, with them.

She could hear the ongoing argument between Masaki and Toma from downstairs, before finally, the vampire seemed to start climbing the stairs while counting down the numbers. The shuffling noise of the footsteps being dragged upstairs almost freaked her out. She shut her eyes and pressed her trembling hands against her ears as if she could escape the situation like this. Her sobbing was shaking up her whole body. She wished herself away from here, herself, Masaki and her Dad, she wished all of them to a safe place where Kazunari and the others would be with them, somewhere far away from these dangerous creatures that had invaded her and her father's house and lives. Some big tears started spilling out from under her shut eyelids, running down her face, Ai didn't see the vampire reaching the top of the flight of stairs and standing there, tall, dressed in black, his look full of confidence of winning this _game_.

Toma had stopped counting, despite only reaching _three_ but since his victim was near and it was just too enjoyable to see her shivering in fear, he didn't care. He wasn't really following his own rules anyway, so screw them, he thought. Now he was just standing there, looking at the shaking bundle of nerves that tried to shut herself from the situation, as if she could become invisible through such a behavior. The vampire tilted his head, his lips curling up into a smirk and he stood there just for another couple of minutes, enjoying the scene he had created.

Intoxicated by the sobbing noises of the little girl, which felt like honey to his ears, the vampire was paying attention to anything else around him and so he also didn't count on Masaki, who – despite being hurt – had gathered all of his remaining strength and followed Toma upstairs. Holding his side and breathing hard, the man was clinging to the handrail while climbing upstairs and just as soon as he had reached the right height for it, he sat down on one of the steps, reached out his hand and grabbed Toma's ankle, pulling it strongly. The vampire, completely startled by the surprise attack, yelped as he lost his balance and fell down, face flat. Quickly, Masaki pulled even harder at his feet and caused the vampire to slide down the stairs, passing him. When Toma tried to cling onto something, he started rolling and lost balance again, falling down the stairs backwards until he reached the bottom, banging his head on the floor.

The vampire screamed and cursed but didn't seem to be hurt too badly. “Damned bastard!” he yelled at Masaki, who had seized the chance to crawl over to Ai, pulling the small girl into his protective hug. 

Masaki knew that he had only gained a few minutes due to his action and he had to admit that he felt kind of lost right now. He didn't know what to do, and when a new wave of pain from his injury threatened to overwhelm him, he was sure that he would be just too weak to pick up the girl and run away with her.

He tried to convince Ai to hide in her room instead, but it was seemingly fruitless since the panicked little girl wasn't able to move either and just clasped onto Masaki's arms, pressing herself against her confidant's body, crying bitterly. Toma had resumed climbing the stairs again. He just rubbed the back of his head slightly to dispel the slight pain from the fall. Faster than what Masaki thought possible, the vampire was back on the upper floor again, glaring at them madly.

“You think you can throw me off the stairs just like that?!” he freaked out, baring his fangs at Masaki. “Thought that's funny, huh?! I'll show you something funny when I'll rip of that little girl's head and kick it downstairs, bastard!”

The vampire was about to step closer, when Masaki, still hugging Ai close, sent his most hateful look at him, baring his own teeth threateningly.

“Back off!” the half-vampire hissed, bending over Ai to protect her from the attacker.

Suddenly, a white wave of light spread from where Masaki and Ai were hunkering, and hit the vampire in high speed, making him lose balance and fell down onto the floor. The light vanished as fast as it appeared. Confused, Masaki looked at Toma, who was lying a few meters in front of him now, groaning. The vampire sat up again, shaking his head slightly.

“What?... What did you do?” he clamored.

Masaki stared at him, still confused and when the vampire tried to approach them again, he repeated, “I - I said, back off!”

Again, white light spread from his body, and when it reached Toma, this time it seemed to be even stronger, smashing the vampire back against the wall. This time though, the light didn't vanish completely, but seemed to come back to Masaki, forming a circle until it became something like a bubble of light around him and the little girl who was still shaking and holding onto him, desperately. The vampire angrily stomped his foot and came rushing closer, ready to attack Masaki but once his clawed hands reached the bubble of light, he backed off by himself with a painful shriek. Pulling back his hands, he looked at them in disbelief, just to find them burned. He cursed, baring his teeth at the half-vampire who still looked at him in surprise.

“The hell!? A barricade?!” Toma cursed when he recovered. “Since when do you have such abilities? Damned!”

Still, Masaki didn't understand what was going on. Was it him, who was causing this light that made it seemingly impossible for the vampire to come close to him? To test the circumstances a little, Masaki tried to focus onto the surrounding light and as if it was following his thoughts, the light spread, getting closer to Toma, causing the vampire to back off and started going downstairs by himself.

“Father, this freak is doing strange stuff!” Toma exclaimed.

In the meantime, Masaki had managed to stand up, his body shaking from the continuing pain. He was clenching his teeth but somehow, he made it. Holding his side with one hand, while clasping Ai's hand with the other, the two of them, still surrounded by the bubble of light, started climbing down the stairs too. If Toma, who started backing off again in fear, had thought that Masaki was going to attack him and to throw him out of the house, the vampire was soon proven wrong. The only thing that was on Masaki's mind was to reach Jun, who was still unconscious and lying on the floor in the middle of the living room.

He and Ai hunkered down, the young girl bending over her father immediately, looking at him with worried eyes. She put her small hand onto his shoulder, shaking him slightly, calling him to open his eyes. The young man looked weak, blood was still leaking from his wounds on the front of his body, wetting the floor, inciting, Ai to break into tears again.

“Maa-chan, do something,” she begged. “Please, do something to save Daddy! He can't die!”

The half-vampire looked at his boyfriend, deadly worried himself, and having no clue what he should do. He turned Jun's body, pulling him into his embrace and instinctively pressed his hand against the wound over the man's stomach, trying to stop the bleeding. He let his thoughts run wild, trying to redirect them from the fear of losing the man he loved more than his own life, to search for a solution. 

Just when he wanted to ask Ai to grab a phone and call an ambulance, the door to the Matsumoto's house burst open again and a bulge of people stormed into the house, some of them screaming and yelling as they attacked Toma who was the closest to the door at that moment. He yelped as he hunkered down, trying to avoid being cut by a silver blade. When he tried to escape through the door, two men grabbed his arms and dragged him inside again, pushing him onto the couch in the living room before pointing their weapons – a pistol and a bazooka – at him, threatening the vampire to stay still and not move.

Giving up, the vampire lifted his partly recovered but still burnt hands and sighed, his look roaming through the room. He sighed as he realized that his opponents were outnumbering him and his father by far and after being told by his two attackers that their weapons were filled with silver ammunition, he quickly assumed that it would be better to stand back instead of trying to help his father.

Things happened pretty fast, faster than anyone of them could have hoped for. While the vampire hunters kept Toma covered, Sho, Satoshi and Tadayoshi joined Okada with the attack on Kusanagi, trying to overwhelm the vampire, who admittedly was much stronger and more powerful than his son.

“It will be fine, it will be fine, it will be fine!” Satoshi yelled repeatedly like reciting a spell.

He thought of the picture he had painted just a few months ago, the one with the seven people dressed in Halloween costumes. Seven. This vision hadn’t changed in his dreams for that. They would be seven. Not one less. They just had to believe and fight for it, to do everything they could.

Witnessing the scene in surprise, Masaki just could gape at them, the words he wanted to address to Ai stuck in his throat. Kazunari suddenly burst into his vision, passing the light barricade without any problem as he stormed toward his brother, Ai and Jun, hunkering down next to them, pulling Masaki out of his thoughts again.

“What happened?” Kazunari asked, stressed. “Where is he hurt? Masaki, take away your hand and his clothes, I can't see anything in this mess!”

Like being in trance, Masaki stared at his little brother, confused. However, since the younger seemed so determined and so sure on what to do, the half-vampire just followed his orders. He quickly pulled his hand away and lifted Jun's shirt, exposing the wounds on his boyfriend's stomach. Kazunari crinkled his nose at the view in front of his eyes, but he didn't back off and instead he moved even closer, reaching out to Jun's wounds.

“What... what are you doing?!” Masaki finally freaked out, looking at his brother but the other just hushed him to be quiet.

“I'm helping him, don't worry,” Kazunari whispered and continued staring on his own hands.

Masaki could only do the same, wondering what was going on, until just a few seconds later when he suddenly felt that warmth spreading from his brother's hands. His eyes focused on the scene, but the half-vampire couldn't believe his eyes as he became witness of a miracle. He gaped as Jun's wounds suddenly started to heal. Then his look wandered to his brother, amazed. Kazunari looked focused, his eyebrows set in a frown, his face red and slightly sweaty, his breath panting. He squinted his eyes and a second later, Masaki could hear Jun groaning. He looked down to the man lying in his arms and he saw Jun was opening his eyes again, slowly.

“Oh my Gosh, Jun!” Masaki's heart constricted before he burst out into tears of relief, hunkering over his boyfriend, spilling his tears all over the young man's face.

“Daddy!” Ai yelled, the load falling off her was clearly heard.

Kazunari sighed and wiped away the sweat from his forehead. Healing wounds used up quite some energy, he started to realize, just like when he had healed Satoshi's wrists. He felt a little dizzy but was immediately stabilized by two strong hands grabbing his shoulders from behind, catching him in a warm embrace. The corners of his lips curled up into a smile as Kazunari leaned back against the familiar body of his boyfriend, letting his head rest against Sho's, who whispered a proud “Well done” into his ear.

The young half-vampire then turns his head a little to meet his boyfriend's eyes. “We should give them a moment, right?” he then asked and he and Sho stood up to give them some privacy.

Masaki was still crying his heart out, just as Ai was and it took Jun, who just woke up, a little longer to make those two stop crying. He sat up, holding his stomach, which was still hurting a little – even if the pain was nothing to compare with the one before, when he thought that he was about to die – and he lifted both of his arms to circle around the other two's necks, pressing them close. He didn't know exactly what had happened, considering that he had passed out for a while. Letting his eyes catch up the situation around him, it looked like the worst part was over already. The two vampires that had intruded his house, were getting escorted outside right now by Satoshi and a couple of strangers whom Jun didn't know but who seemed to be on their side. Kazunari and Sho were watching the scene and Jun's daughter and his boyfriend were still sobbing against his chest heartbreakingly.

“Stop crying, you two,” Jun chuckled finally, letting his hand run over his daughter's long hair.

“I thought, you'd die, Daddy!” his little girl sobbed, her red-shot, teary eyes looking at him desperately. “I was so scared!”

“I'm sorry, my angel, I'm fine now, you see?” he replied, smiling before turning his look to his boyfriend. “Masaki...”

“I'm glad you're still alive, Jun,” Masaki sobbed, hugging his boyfriend. “I'm so glad... I'll never leave you alone, I swear!”

Jun looked at him lovingly and just as Masaki wiped away a few tears, he cupped his boyfriend's face, pressing his lips onto Jun's. Surprised but not complaining, the young man just let it happen, despite knowing that his little daughter was staring at the two of them right now, probably with a broad grin adorning her face. He didn't care, reaching out blindly with his hand to take his little daughter's hand in his and just to close his eyes again and let himself drown in the kiss. 

When they finished, Jun slowly opened his eyes again, looking at Masaki, whose eyes were filled with tears again – tears of happiness this time. The half-vampire flung his arms around his boyfriend's neck, almost toppling him over and the two chuckled happily, joined by Ai who started to tease them for being so openly lovey-dovey.

+-+-+

A couple of hours later, when sun was rising, everyone was gathered in the half-vampire's house next door. Okada had wished everything a “good day” before he vanishing downstairs into the cellar were Satoshi had set up his bed and Ai had also finally gone to sleep. After all the excitement and action, the girl had stayed awake for another few hours, recovering from the shock of events and cuddling up not only to her father and Masaki but also to her other friends, showing them how relieved she was that nobody was hurt badly. 

Right now, Sho and Kazunari were sharing the big armchair, cuddling, Kazunari still recovering from the loss of energy he had from healing Masaki too, just a while ago. Yui and Satoshi were rummaging in the kitchen to prepare a few snacks for breakfast, and the little girl cuddled on the living room couch, where Jun and Masaki were settled.

Jun had been advised by Sho to lay down to recover from his injuries – even if Kazunari had done a good job of healing him almost completely – and so he took some rest. Thankfully, even Jun's broken leg could get fixed by Kazunari's surprising healing powers.

Masaki, who was holding Ai in a tight embrace after the little girl had fallen asleep, was resting against his shoulder yawned, clearly exhausted. The night had really been tough but it had revealed so many surprises that it was still a bit too much to swallow, even if they were mostly good news. Masaki had been flabbergasted once he had realized the full extent of his little brother's newly discovered ability and he wasn't less surprised about his own, protective power, although still astonished and confused about it. Another shock had been to learn about Sho, his true nature and his stunning abilities, or about the existence of vampire hunters and their relationship to Satoshi's girlfriend.

Kusanagi and his son had been sent away of course, threatened by Okada and Satoshi to never come close to them ever again if they didn't want to die. The fact that the half-vampires had gotten help from so many people, their father, Sho - their guardian, as well as the vampire hunters who might not be that strong but equipped with really useful tools, had helped to make them comply. 

The vampires were lucky that neither the Matsumotos nor the half-vampires were evil people that they would want the vampires dead. With the vampire hunters' equipment and all their strength combined, it would have been easy to kill the vampires – and so, they promised to inform Mao and the other members of the Kusanagi-clan as well, to leave them in peace. Then, the vampires had left with enough time before sunrise so that they could run and hide before the sun could get them.

If the vampires had learned a lesson that night, it was for sure that they should never ever underestimate the half-vampires and their friends. With their united power, they would be able to fight every enemy and to protect the ones they loved.

Jun smiled. While the vampire hunters spread over the living room floor, sleeping peacefully in some sleeping bags they had brought from their van and Sho and Kazunari were whispering to each other, Jun leaned sideway, placing a small kiss on Masaki's cheek. The latter snapped his nearly shut eyes open, just as Satoshi and Yui came back to the living room with trays filled with several delicious items.

“Looks delicious,” Sho murmured as he eyed the dishes, breathing in the scent of freshly brewed coffee. Kazunari, still sitting in his embrace, cringed his nose but didn't complain and instead reached out for a cup of coffee to hand to his boyfriend who smiled at him thankfully before kissing the tip of his nose.

Satoshi handed Jun and Masaki who weren't really able to move closer, small plates with some food distributed on them and since Masaki had his arms full of Ai, Jun chuckled as he offered him to feed him, if he wanted to, causing the half-vampire to blush happily.

“Eat, drink and get back some energy, guys,” Yui said with a loving smile. “You really deserve it.”

TBC...


	20. Epilogue

Fall had come to town and a strong wind was whirling the colorful fallen leaves from the sidewalk, making them dance over the neighborhood. A cat jumped after one of the leaves, following it down the street. The scene would be as peaceful as in a children’s' book, Satoshi thought as he let his look fall out of his room's window. However, considering the noises and voices coming from downstairs, reaching him even through his closed door, something told him that it was more lively than peaceful. Well, considering that it was the day of the biggest celebration in this household and that everyone had come to join in its preparations, this shouldn't surprise him too much.

“Why do I have to wear such a big round orange costume, Satoshi?” the half-vampire heard his girlfriend's complaining voice from behind him, accompanied by a rustling noise.

“Because Masaki and Jun put all their efforts into creating it, just for you, Yui,” the man answered smirking as he turned around just to spot the young woman holding up an orange mess of fabric, lace and tulle.

She was pouting cutely as she eyed the dress critically. “But it makes me look really fat!”

“You don't look fat at all, Honey!” Satoshi chuckled. “It's cute. And even if, it's just the dress, it's supposed to be like this. Besides... you better get used to it anyway, my little pumpkin,” he said, coming a few steps closer reaching his hands around her from behind, placing them carefully on her belly before patting it playfully.

“Idiot!” Yui scolded but immediately let herself lean back into her boyfriend's warm embrace. She put the dress down onto the bed again and placed her hands on top of Satoshi's, brushing his fingers, lovingly before she blushed and said with another cute pout. “My belly is still flat as a pancake.”

“Emphasize on the _still_ ,” Satoshi whispered into her ear before placing a loving kiss on her neck.

Yui smiled and turned her head a little to meet her boyfriend's eyes, who had placed his head on her shoulder, hugging her close. “I'm only in the second month, it will take a little longer before it shows.”

“I can't wait to see it,” Satoshi said, his voice filled with joy.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds before Satoshi inched closer and Yui shut her eyes as their lips met in a tender kiss. She sighed satisfied as her boyfriend's lips were brushing against hers softly and he was also swaying both of their bodies in a slow rhythm as if they were dancing to a slow, romantic love ballad.

When they broke their kiss, Yui lifted her hand to cup her man's cheek, looking at him with a happy smile. “And _I_ still can't believe that we're pregnant... if I may remind you, when we got to know each other, you told me you cannot have children.”

“Well, I'm at least as surprised as you are! But this family has proven more than once that miracles can happen, right?” Satoshi smiled, his heart feeling like it bloomed again, just like the moment when Yui told him about the new life in her belly, utterly surprised, a few weeks ago.

“Indeed...,” she answered, agreeing.

Satoshi loosened his embrace around his girlfriend, just to take a few steps going around her to face Yui with a broad smile. He placed a small kiss on her forehead before sitting on the edge of their bed, pulling her closer. After lifting her shirt a little, he lowered his head, pressing his cheek against the soft skin of her belly, happily.

“And I might say that I'm really really happy and excited about _this_ little miracle!” he exclaimed joyfully.

“You better be, it's all your work after all!” Yui chuckled, ruffling her lover's hair. “And we should tell Masaki and the others soon that our family is growing.”

Satoshi sighed. “I hope he won't hate me for this.”

Again Yui laughed. “Let's stay fair, he cannot really become _envious_ because of this, since as a matter of fact neither him nor Jun actually _can_ get pregnant!”

“But I'm sure he is dying to have another child, Ai-chan is growing up too fast,” Satoshi sighed again.

“Maybe he and Jun will adopt another child one day?” his girlfriend prompted.

“Or two?” Satoshi grinned.

“Or ten?”

They burst into laughter, the image of Masaki being surrounded by a mob of cute small children was not seemingly as impossible as someone assumed.

“Then he could finally fulfill his dream and open his own kindergarten class,” Yui further expanded on this picture of a future.

“He definitely would do that!”

“Right?”

“At least he can work with children now in some way,” Satoshi concluded, smiling warmly. “It's already a dream coming true for him.”

“Good for him, isn't it?”

The half-vampire nodded as he pulled his girlfriend closer, making her squeal as he caused her to collapse into his arms before he rolled her over on the bed carefully, towering over her a second later, just to reach down and place another kiss on her beautiful lips. The two laughed when they heard the dress' fabric rustle underneath Yui and she quickly lifted her body to pull it out in order not to crinkle it completely. Satoshi laid down on his back, stretching his arm so that Yui could roll onto it, right into his embrace, after she had rescued her costume.

Indeed, Masaki and Jun had worked hard on this piece of cloth, starting from the design that they made up together until the last stitch that connected the different layers of the dress. They even had made the special formed petticoat by themselves, to ensure that it would fit the round figure of a pumpkin perfectly. It wasn't the first dress they created together since Jun had incorporated Masaki into his small design company, but it was one of the first Halloween dresses they had come up with together. After joining the company, Masaki had enthusiastically suggested to his partner that besides Jun's usual wonderful dresses, they could also launch a side brand for children's' wear, including costumes for birthday parties, Halloween and other celebrations.

Jun was drawn into the idea after Masaki managed to convince him with a poorly drawn but very well conceptualized presentation on this topic, obviously filled with all the love the young half-vampire felt for children. After Jun had given Masaki some crash courses in sewing, stitching and whatever else he needed for his new job, it didn't take long for the two of them to create their first prototypes. Just two months ago, the two of them had traveled to Tokyo for a children’s' fashion show which they participated in. Dressed in his Halloween vampire costume to fit the theme, Masaki had the perfect disguise to meet lots of cute children, all of them wearing the costumes and dresses that he and Jun had created through hard work. Of course, for Yui they had made an exception and sewed a bigger sized dress, following a prompt by Satoshi when he voiced his wish for a costume for his girlfriend.

Ai was wearing self-made clothes by her two daddies to school every day, showing off proudly what they were able to create. Once Masaki and Jun had officially came back together after the vampire's defeat, the three had grown into a real family quickly. The young girl was the two men's self-claimed biggest fan for sure and if she wasn't watching or even helping them a little with making clothes, she was following her school studies like a good girl, or spending time with her former crush, Kazunari, at the neighbor’s house. After all she knew that she had to give her father and his partner a little time for just the two of them and she highly respected this. Even if she claimed to get pampered after her return with delicious meals prepared by Masaki and her daddies' full attention when she wanted to play games with them.

“What about Sho and Kazu?” Yui asked thoughtfully, curled up against her boyfriend and letting her hand draw small pattern on the fabric of his black shirt, which he was already wearing as part of his own costume. “Do you think, they want to have a family too one day?”

“Maybe in a few years? Give them a bit more time, they aren't even living together yet because my brother is still so shy,” Satoshi chuckled.

“They are _almost_. This house is getting a bit tight lately and Sho is in love with Kazu for years, if I might remind you.”

“Well, it can't be helped that Kazu doesn't want to move out,” Satoshi chuckled. “Even if he grew up a lot during the past few months, he is still somewhat a child and he's busy studying right now, he should focus on that first.”

“True. And he's doing well, one of my former teachers told me,” Yui said, flashing her boyfriend a smile. “He's smart, clever and learns quickly.”

“That's my little brother,” the half-vampire sighed in satisfaction, placing his hand underneath his head to lie on it.

“Don't brag!” Yui poked his side playfully, causing the other to laugh.

“I can't help myself, I'm so proud of my little brother after all!”

“You can be, indeed.”

“He's very brave to go back to education at his age, I really admire him!”

“Well, his _age_ might be the smallest problem since he still looks younger than most of his classmates which just graduated from high school,” the young woman in his arms chuckled.

“True words,” said Satoshi looking up at the bedroom ceiling again, remembering the previous year. “Who would have thought that our little hikikomori would attend school again?”

“It's all thanks to Sho's influence and yours and Masaki's encouragement,” Yui stated.

Soon after Kazunari had found out about his healing powers during the fight with the Kusanagi-clan at the end of last year, he also learned that they didn't work on himself. He had cut his arm pretty badly to demonstrate his powers, just to discover in terror, that he couldn't heal himself. Getting scolded and taken care of by his boyfriend, he didn't stop complaining about the unfairness, until Sho told him that it was just expected for him that his power focused on other people instead of himself. It showed his true, self-sacrificing nature despite his egoistic acting as a cover-up and that was, what Sho loved the most about him, after all. Kazunari then shut up, blushing deeply and just gratefully let the young doctor take care of his wound.

A few days later, Sho offered his boyfriend to join him in his practice. Since he had a good hand with kids – even if Kazunari still didn't want to admit it – and could use his powers to heal small wounds. In addition, he could be really helpful as Sho's assistant. Excited, Kazunari started to think about the offer, the idea of being useful to other people was something so new and unknown to him that it needed a bit of time to sink in but he had started to research enthusiastically about what kind of qualifications he would need to become a proper assistant for Sho, besides providing his healing powers. Soon after and following Yui's good advice, he signed up for studies at nursing school which he has been attending for a few months already.

He and Sho still didn't live together, even if the latter had offered his boyfriend a place in his apartment but Kazunari admitted that he still wasn't ready to leave this house and his brothers. Instead, Sho developed the habit of sleeping over at the half-vampire's place several times a week and as such, it felt like he had almost moved in too, following Yui's example who had packed her stuff and terminated her apartment's contract half a year ago in favor of moving in with Satoshi and his brothers.

In contrast, Masaki was spending most of his time next door with Jun (and Ai, if the latter didn't come over to play games with Kazunari and distracting him from his studies), but still not officially living there. Satoshi assumed that this was just to give Kazunari the feeling that they were still the family as they had always been, even if Kazunari knew better anyway, and was just playing along with his brother's intention. In the end, it didn't matter where all of them spent their time, because summing up the only thing that was important was that they spent their time together as the big family they had grown into.

Satoshi reached his hand to pat Yui's hair, pressing her head closer to his chest. He placed another kiss on her forehead. “I'm really glad that everyone found happiness, finally.”

“We deserve it, each of us,” his girlfriend replied, stretching a little to kiss Satoshi's chin.

The half-vampire switched positions again, pulling the young woman into his arms and the two of them got lost in another kiss, which seemed to last for eternity and both truly wouldn't care about what was to happen. But then, Satoshi broke the kiss, turning his head slightly and a second later he sat up again, Yui mirroring his gesture, even if she looked at him in surprise. He turned at her and gave her a wide smile.

“Let's go, I can hear Ai-chan trampling up the stairs, she's surely on her way to get us downstairs to the others.”

And true enough, just a moment later a loud knock against the wooden door could be heard before Ai barged into the room, immediately running toward the couple sitting on the bed. She was wearing a new, upgraded version of last year’s witch costume, branded by Jun and Masaki of course, and she looked just adorable. Her shiny eyes shimmered in excitement and her smile brightened the room as she reached out to pull the two up.

“Sato-nii, Yui-chan! We finished the pumpkin-chocolate cupcakes, want to try some?” she asked enthusiastically.

“Sure, sure, little witch, not so stormy,” Satoshi said, laughing before turning to his girlfriend again, reaching his hands to hug her slightly, his hand finding its way onto Yui's belly immediately. “Come on, my little pumpkin, time to feed your tummy so that it will grow big and proud.”

“Stop that, Satoshi, I warn you!” the young woman glared at him but nevertheless broke into a smile.

Ai looked at the couple, questioning, eying Yui a bit suspiciously, but she didn't say anything. Satoshi finally stood up and patted the young girl’s shoulders, smiling at her.

“We will be there in two minutes, Ai-chan, OK? Did you get Kazu away from his homework already?”

“Sho-chan was faster, he just dragged him out of his room into the kitchen. Kazu was complaining about the sweet smell there but Sho-chan just laughed and didn't care.”

“Sounds like usual. Great. So go ahead, and see you downstairs!”

Excitedly, the young girl nodded, and her long black hair danced in the air as she whirled around quickly and started running again, dashing out of the room without closing the door.

Satoshi shot a look at his bedroom mirror, checking his already prepared white make-up and his gelled black hair. Spiking his appearance by showing his long canine teeth, which appeared at the corners of his lips in only a second, he snatched the black coat Masaki had prepared for him the previous day and put it on skillfully, the soft fabric finishing his spooky appearance.

Once Yui finished dressing in her cute, round pumpkin dress, he reached out his hand to pull her with him out of the room. Laughing joyfully, the delicious scent of the results of Masaki's baking skills filled their noses, the couple passed the upper corridor before heading downstairs. A large painting was hanging over a wooden chest of drawers.

It was a painting that Satoshi had finished almost a year ago, showing an autumn atmosphere and the small figures of seven people running gleefully through the streets. Three of them were dressed as vampires, one of them holding the hand of a little witch that was accompanied by a magician with a tall, dark blue hat. The second was getting pulled along by a tall angel in a white dress, and the last pair forming the last row together, were a vampire and a woman, dressed in an orange pumpkin dress.

The two were holding hands and looking at each other, smiling, just like the real ones.

**_THE END_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Full PDF-Version of this can be found here:  
> http://www.mediafire.com/file/tb165uzu2gtcgv2/sky_fish7_My+Neighbors%2C+the+Vampires+Complete.pdf


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